My Sister's Shoes
by Asian Delicacy
Summary: Kagome and Inuyasha are in-laws bound together by their connection through her deceased sister and his late wife. With nobody to lean on besides each other, can these two settle their differences and make peace with each other for the sake of the children involved?
1. Chapter 1 Butting Heads

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.**

**SUMMARY: Kagome and Inuyasha are in-laws bound together by their connection through her deceased sister and his late wife. With nobody to lean on besides each other, can these two settle their differences and make peace with each other for the sake of the children involved?**

**NOTE: This is an alternate universe story. Inuyasha is a half demon in this fic and he and Kagome as well as the other characters of the anime/manga live in a human/demon society. This story starts off in the present in the first chapter below. When you get to _Chapter II_ and beyond you'll get a glimpse of past events that occurred in Kagome's and Inuyasha's lives. These events will be _italicized_. So, all _italicized _paragraphs at the beginning of my later chapters will refer to _past _events. Then the chapters will revert back to the _future_.**

**CHAPTER 1: BUTTING HEADS**

* * *

Rising up from her canopy bed, Kagome reached over to the burgundy nightstand resting a few inches away from her bed. The lights were off and her room was dark and she couldn't really see anything, except for the crimson red numbers on her black digital clock in the shape of a cat, which rested against the center wall of her room. It was three-thirty in the morning.

She frowned and brought her hand down onto the nightstand, feeling for her phone. She'd been enjoying a very delicious dream, which involved her, a hot guy and a bowl of _Ben & Jerry's_ cherry-peach-vanilla ice-cream, until that stupid phone of hers jarred her awake. Whoever it was that was calling her, in the wee hours of the morning had better have a darn good excuse for waking her, or they were going to get a large taste of her fury. She highly valued her rest and she didn't like being disturbed.

"Hello!" She said a bit groggily after she located the phone and placed it onto her ear.

"Aunt Kagome!"

"Kenshin! Honey, what are you're doing calling me so early? It's three in the morning."

Kagome heard someone sniffle on his end of the phone before little voices rang out in the background, which definitely belonged to her twin nieces. She smelled trouble with a capital t. Frowning, she sat up fully in her bed, wondering why her nephew and nieces were up at this time of night.

"Kenshin, why are calling me so early in the morning?" She repeated. "Are your sisters up as well?"

"Yes! I didn't know who else to call."

"What's going on Kenshin? Where's your father?"

"On the floor in his room. He stumbled into the house a little while ago and woke us up."

Kagome groaned and gripped the telephone tightly. "Is he drunk again?"

"I think so. I think he was in a fight. His clothes are really bloody."

"Let me speak to him!" Kagome nearly yelled, struggling to hold in her temper.

"I can't! He passed out! That's why I called you."

"Oh God!" She groaned. "Do you know CPR?"

"I don't know CPR Aunt Kagome! What do I do?"

Kagome groaned again and pressed a hand to her forehead as she began to get frustrated.

"Click over and call your uncle Miroku, Kenshin. Let him know what's going on. Maybe, he can get to the house and help Inuyasha. I'm gonna call the police and send some help over to your house. Then I'm gonna call you right back."

"Okay Aunt Kagome."

Kagome ended her call with her nephew and began frantically punching in numbers on her phone, hoping against hope that her nephew and nieces wouldn't witness their father's death on today. She took a quick breath as she waited for someone to answer her call. She wondered how long her obnoxious brother in law had been unconscious. Hopefully it wasn't a very long time.

"You've reached the _Hiragana Police Station_. My name's Doris. How can I help you?"

"I need an ambulance sent to my brother in law's house. He's not breathing. He lives in _Furigana _with his three children. His address is 3569 _Westland Estates."_

"Ma'am this is the _Hiragana Police Station_ not the _Furigana Police Station_."

"I know that. I was hoping that I could get connected to the _Furigana Police Station_. I don't know the number to the _Furigana Police Station_ being that I live in _Hiragana._ My brother in law lives in _Furigana_ and he's the one that needs medical help. I live too far away to help him."

"Alright Miss. Can I get your name?"

"It's Higurashi Kagome."

"Thank you Ms. Higurashi. What's the nature of your call?"

"Are you serious?" Kagome nearly shouted into the phone's receiver. "I just told you what the nature of the call was!"

The woman acted as though if she hadn't heard a word she said. "Look honey I can't help you if I don't know what the problem is."

"My brother in law passed out at his home. I don't know how long he's been out. He's in his home with his three frightened children and none of them know CPR. I need an ambulance sent to their home."

"Ms. Sagome, is it?"

"It's Kagome!"

"Look Miss, you might want to check your attitude! You're the one who needs my help."

"I don't have time for this Doris! There's a man at 3569 _Westland Estates_ who isn't breathing and hasn't been for God knows how long. Now stop getting attitudes with me and get him some help."

Kagome heard Doris groan and sigh annoyingly into the phone and she almost slammed her phone against the wall.

"Are you done ranting Sagome?"

"It's Kagome!"

Whatever! Where do you need the ambulance sent?"

"To 3569 _Westland Estates!_"

"What city?"

"_Furigana_."

Kagome heard Doris punching in numbers onto something that sounded like a keyboard. Then she heard her gasp as if she'd just seen a ghost.

"Um, Ms. Kagome."

"Yes."

"I'm gonna have to transfer your call."

"What? Why?"

"_Westland Estates_ is inhabited by _Demons_, isn't it?"

Kagome didn't miss the way she said the word _Demons_, like it hurt her lips just to utter the word.

"Yes there are demons that live there but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Is this brother in law of yours human or demon?"

"He's both!"

"In that case I'll have to transfer your call."

"What's the matter with you people? A man is dying! Just because he's half demon you're gonna deny him medical assistance."

"My apologies Ms. Higurashi but we don't provide assistance for demons."

"Not even for half demons?"

"Like I said we don't provide assistance for demons, half or whole."

"You racist…prejudiced…

Doris ignored Kagome and began punching in a new set of numbers on her keyboard.

"Stay on the line Ms. Higurashi and I'll transfer you right over."

Kagome mumbled into the phone as her eyes fell upon her clock. It was 3:55 in the morning, meaning that nearly half an hour had passed since she got off the phone with her nephew. She pressed her lips together, hoping that Kenshin was successful in contacting Miroku. The way things were going for her, it'd be a while before anyone was actually going to hear her case.

"Ms. Higurashi?" Kagome heard another voice on the telephone meaning Doris had finally transferred her call.

"Yes! This is Ms. Higurashi."

"Ms. Higurashi my name is Hiro and I understand that you need an ambulance sent to the _Westland Estates_."

"That's correct. The address is 3569 _Westland Estates_. His name is Ishikawa Inuyasha."

"Got it. We're sending some assistance over right away."

"Thank you so much."

"Does he have any medical problems that you're aware of?"

"No! He's in great shape. He doesn't bruise easily."

"Just one of the perks of being part demon."

"Look Mr. Hiro, I don't mean to be rude but I really need to call my nephew back. Is there anything else you need from me?"

"Well, there were some medical questions I needed to ask."

"I already told you that he doesn't have any medical problems."

"I know that but there are other things that my medical team will need to know just in case he needs surgery. Since you mentioned to the previous operator that he was your brother in law, I'm going to assume that there are some things that you don't know about him."

Kagome pressed a hand to her temple. She hadn't even thought about that. There was quite a lot that she didn't know about her brother in law.

"You mentioned that he's at home with his children."

"Yes, his 12 year old son and his 6 year old twin daughters."

"Is there anyone that can look after the children when he enters the hospital?"

"Not anybody I can think of."

"Are you sure? There's no sister, cousin or uncle?"

"There's nobody."

"What about the children's mother?"

Kagome felt her back stiffen as she gripped the phone tightly in her hands.

"My sister is dead and my brother in law is a single parent. I'd go over there myself if I didn't live so far away. There isn't anyone that can help them, sir. I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask me that question again."

A long pause passed between Kagome and Hiro as she continued to hold the phone. She didn't mean to bite the poor guy's head off but she was tired of explaining to him that there was nobody who could take care of her nephew and his two sisters. She began to pull the phone away from her ear when she heard him speak again.

"I don't have any more questions for you Ms. Kagome. You may end this call. I hope your brother in law makes a full recovery."

"If your medical team makes it to him in time." Kagome mumbled into the phone.

"He'll make it. It takes an awful lot to kill a half demon."

"I hope so. Goodbye Mr. Hiro. Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome Ms. Kagome and I'm sorry for asking so many questions."

"Don't worry about it." Kagome stated before pulling her phone away from her ear and ending her session with Hiro.

She closed her eyes before dialing Inuyasha's home number. She was starting to get a bitter taste in her mouth and her head was beginning to throb. His phone rung and she waited for someone to answer it but no one ever did. She ended the call and dialed Inuyasha's number again only to receive the same answer.

If nobody was answering the phone maybe Kenshin had been successful in finding his father some help. Or perhaps it was already too late to save him. She hoped it wasn't the latter.

Laying her phone down, Kagome stepped out of bed and turned the lights on in her bedroom. Then she went to her closet to pull out some clothes. She could just strangle Inuyasha for getting into another fight. This was his seventh fight in the past three months.

She honestly didn't know what his problem was. He didn't have to attend every fight he was invited to. She understood how rough it had to be to raise three children by himself but he didn't have to get so violent whenever somebody looked at him the wrong way. He had children to consider. His actions reflected them and the last thing the poor children needed was more enemies.

His own brother thought he was an unfit father and even threatened to take his children away from him a few times before. Of course that was probably initiated by his brother's wife. She couldn't have any children of her own and despised anyone else that could. Kagome actually felt sorry for the poor woman because she really did seem to want a child badly.

Tossing her clothes onto the bed, Kagome headed for the bathroom. As soon as she got out of the shower she was going to get dressed and take the earliest flight she could to get to _Furigana._ She had a few choice words to give to her bonehead brother in law. He had to stop behaving so irresponsibly. It wasn't healthy for his children or himself.

As she stepped into the bathroom her phone began to ring and she raced back to her nightstand to pick it up. It had to be good news.

"Kenshin?"

"It's Miroku Kagome."

"Oh Miroku! Thank God! Is everything okay? Did Kenshin get in contact with you?"

"Everything's fine Kagome. We're all at the hospital."

"How's Inuyasha?"

"He's stabilized."

"Is he gonna be alright?"

"You know Inuyasha Kagome."

"Exactly, that's why I need to know if he's really okay."

"He's fine."

Kagome sighed and gripped her phone tightly, wishing it was Inuyasha's neck instead.

"So what happened Miroku? Kenshin told me that his clothes were bloody. I'm assuming he was in a fight."

"He got into a scuffle with some guy at that Irish bar on _South Street_."

"Oh Inuyasha!"

"That's not all of it. The guy who he fought wasn't alone. When they found out that Inuyasha was pounding their buddy into a bloody pulp they jumped into the fight."

"How many?"

"There were at least four more of them."

"Did anybody try to break it up?"

"I'm sure they would've if in fact there were any humans involved."

"What? Are you telling me that Inuyasha tried to take on five demons by himself?"

"He didn't try he did and he probably would've gotten the best of them if he wasn't intoxicated."

"How drunk was he?"

"Very, very drunk. It's a wonder he was still as alert as he was considering how much alcohol he'd consumed."

"I can't believe nobody tried to stop them from fighting."

"Well believe it Kagome because nobody did. In case you've forgotten most humans don't take too well to demons, half demon or full demon. Either way it doesn't matter."

Kagome sighed and grunted as intense feelings of anger and sympathy filled up her senses. She hated Inuyasha for getting into so many fights but she also sympathized with him. Being a hanyou wasn't the easiest thing in the world.

"After their brawl ended Inuyasha's assailants took off and so did he. They all knew that it'd be a matter of time before law enforcement showed up. So they all left the bar rather quickly."

"Let me guess. Inuyasha drove himself home?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"What is the matter with him? He could've killed himself! If I didn't know any better I'd swear he was trying to kill himself."

"He's just got a lot going right now Kagome."

"Who doesn't Miroku? He's not the only one in the world with problems."

"It's really difficult for him Kagome, especially now."

"Don't you dare try to take up for him Miroku! I don't care what he's going through. He can't just take his anger and frustration out on the whole world."

"Kagome!"

"I don't want to hear it Miroku!"

"Kagome please!"

"Forget it Miroku! You're not gonna get me to feel sorry for him anymore!"

"Kagome, would you shut up for a minute and listen to what I have to tell you."

"What is it Miroku?"

"I agree with you. Inuyasha does need to stop behaving so irresponsibly. It's just that his wife's birthday just passed."

Kagome closed her eyes for a moment and leaned against the wall. How many times had she heard this story before? If Inuyasha thought for one minute that he was going to use her dead sister's birthday as an excuse to go picking fights, then she'd pick one with him herself. Not wanting to hear another word from Miroku Kagome decided to cut their conversation short.

"I have flight arrangements to make Miroku. I'm gonna try to get to _Furigana_ the earliest I can. So expect to see me later today."

"Kagome I'm not done talking."

"Yes you are. I don't want you lying for that sorry brother in law of mine. He's a grown man."

"Kagome!"

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Kagome ended the phone call with Miroku and called _Satoshi Airlines_. She was tired of feeling sorry for Inuyasha. It was time for him to accept some responsibility and if she was the only one strong enough to get him help then he was going to accept it whether he wanted it or not.

* * *

Walking through the doors of the _Koshigaya Medical Center_ Kagome went in search of the Ishikawa clan. Miroku told her that everybody was still at the hospital waiting for Inuyasha to get released. It was 8:00 at night and she'd just arrived in _Furigana_ a little over an hour ago. Miroku offered to pick her up from the airport but Kagome refused. She told him that it would be best if he stayed with Inuyasha and his children, considering Sango was pregnant.

She tightened her jacket on her shoulders as she made her way to the waiting area. She saw Sango sitting in a large, blue chair with both of her nieces Kara and her namesake Kagome on either side of her. They were both asleep. Their older brother Kenshin was seated across from her and Miroku was sitting next to him with his 4 year old son Miatsu sleeping in his lap. He seemed to notice her first.

"You finally made it." Miroku announced once she rounded the corner and made her way over to all of them.

"Aunt Kagome!" Kenshin announced in relief. The boy stood up from his chair and ran up to her, throwing his arms around her neck, squeezing her like she was a plush teddy bear.

"Hey kiddo! How's it going?"

"I love you Aunt Kagome!"

"I love you too Kenshin."

Kenshin trembled in his aunt's embrace and she eased back just a bit to get a good look at his face. The boy looked scared and besides that, he looked lost. She'd never seen him look that way before but she had seen the look before. She shuddered and threw her arms around him again.

"Please! Help my dad Aunt Kagome. He needs help."

Kagome patted Kenshin's back as her sympathy suddenly turned to anger. She'd just remembered why she flew all the way to _Furigana_ anyway. She held onto Kenshin for a bit longer and then slowly eased out of his embrace.

"What room is your father in?" Kagome asked her nephew not realizing how cold her voice had turned.

Sango stared at her in confusion.

"He's in room 419 on the left wing of the hospital." Kenshin replied to her.

"I'll be right back honey. You stay here with your sisters."

Kenshin nodded and took his seat again as Kagome prepared to leave. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and her eyes met Miroku's. He shifted his son in his arms.

"Don't be too rough on him Kagome. He's been through a lot today."

"Not nearly enough." Kagome mumbled before moving away from Miroku.

She glanced at her two sleeping nieces and then at Sango. She could feel the older woman's eyes boring into her face but she ignored her. She could tell that Sango wanted to say something to her but she held her tongue. She knew herself that Inuyasha wasn't acting responsibly but she still didn't want Kagome giving him a hard time. He was her younger brother after all.

Kagome shook off her glare and walked away from them and headed to Inuyasha's hospital room. She had no idea what she was going to say to him but he certainly was going to be on the receiving end of her wrath. That much she was sure of.

Ditching the stairs she hopped onto the elevator. She pressed the button for the 4th floor and waited for the doors to close. She sighed and leaned against the wall and cleared her throat. She had a horrible case of jet lag and she was sleepy. Her body desperately needed its rest.

The elevators doors buzzed and she removed her body from the wall and stepped out of the elevator. It took her about five minutes to locate Inuyasha's room. She peered into the glass of the door and spotted him leaning over his bed. He was tying his shoe and he was shirtless and there was a thick, white bandage wrapped around his head save his ears.

She saw one of them twitch from above the bandage and knew immediately that he must've realized that she was outside his hospital room door. She took that as her cue to enter his room as she pushed the door open and made her presence known.

He turned to stare at her for a moment before stepping completely away from his bed. Then he grunted and bent down to tie his other shoe.

"Inuyasha?"

"Why are you here?" He asked her in a cool even tone.

"Well hello to you too brother in law."

"Keh." He muttered irritation evident in his voice.

Kagome snorted and groaned before fixing her gaze on the window. She wished that he was wearing a shirt. She was finding it quite difficult to talk him while he was clad in nothing but a pair of gray jogging pants that hung too loosely at his hips. She got a rather intimidating view of his tanned to perfection chest and his rather muscular stomach, not to mention that hint of silver hair that ran just below his navel. She refused to let her mind go any further.

_Dear Kami! It just wasn't fair for anyone to be that sexy._

She closed her eyes for a minute and tried to steady her thoughts. It would be just like her to give him a piece of her mind and get distracted in the whole process. She sighed and placed her hands into the pockets of her jacket.

He moved closer to her a confused expression donning his beautifully rugged features.

She slowly shifted her gaze to his.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Of course I'm alright." She stated once she was able to bring her raging hormones under control. "I should be asking you that question."

"Keh. What you should be doing is minding your own business."

"Well last time I checked my nephew and his sisters are my business."

Inuyasha huffed before glaring at Kagome. He really didn't feel like arguing with her.

"Don't start Kagome. I don't want to hear it"

"I don't care if you don't want to hear it Inuyasha. You've got to be half out of your mind if you think I'm gonna just forget about the fact that you keep getting into these fights. You have to stop this."

"And you have to mind your own business Kagome. I'm a grown man and the last time I checked I didn't need your permission to do anything I wanted to do."

"That doesn't mean you have to go around pummeling everybody who wrongs you. You're 30 years old not a teenager. You have to start acting more responsibly. You've got a family that needs you to protect them."

"I am protecting them!" He seethed.

"How? By getting your head beat into the ground by a hoard of demons!"

"I hardly call five measly weaklings a hoard of demons."

"It doesn't matter if they were weak demons. You were drunk and they were still strong enough to do some damage to that thick skull of yours or otherwise you wouldn't have that bandage wrapped around your head."

"Well, don't worry that pretty little head of yours off Kagome. My head doesn't feels as bad as it looks."

"If you hadn't gotten into a fight there would be no need for your head to be wrapped up."

"Like I said it doesn't hurt all that bad. Besides, those pissants had it coming."

"And you couldn't punish them another way?"

"Look Kagome! If you came here looking for a fight you'd better look somewhere else. I'm really not in the mood tonight!"

"I don't care! You could have died! Do you have any idea how scared your son is right now? How scared your little girls are?"

"Back off wench! I don't need a lecture from you!"

Inuyasha glared at her with his _you don't want to mess with me right now_ gaze and Kagome flinched but she refused to back away.

"Well until you straighten up your act that's exactly what you're gonna get from me."

Inuyasha turned away from her and walked over to the empty brown chair seated a few feet away from his bed. He pulled his black tank top from the armrest and slipped it onto his upper body.

"It's late and I need to get my kids home."

"I'm not done talking to you!"

"Then feel free to use this room to talk to yourself all you want. I'm heading home."

"You are impossible!"

"And you are nosey! Stay out of my business wench! If I want your help I'll ask for it!"

"I really don't care what you think of me Inuyasha and I probably would back away if there weren't children involved but they are and they're not just any children. These are my dead sister's children. They are all I have left of her and I refuse to just sit by and let you ruin their lives."

Inuyasha walked back over to Kagome and grabbed her arm and shook her until she hesitantly met his gaze.

"Listen up Kagome because I'm only gonna say this once to you. Don't lecture me about my children. They mean the world to me. I would never do anything to hurt them. You know that. So stop coming at me with your righteous indignation. I'm not a very easy person to get along with as it is. You don't want to ever be on the receiving end of my wrath."

He released her quickly and she staggered back, nearly falling onto the floor in the process.

She stared at him with a mixture of fright and anger in her eyes.

He gave her one long hard look before ripping his hospital room door open and storming out in search of the elevator.

Kagome shook herself and forced her feet to move as she followed behind him and stepped onto the elevator with him.

She refused to look at him. He was so pissed off right now that no amount of talking she did was going to change his mind.

When they made it to the first floor the elevator buzzed and the doors came open. They stepped off of the elevator together both of them refusing to acknowledge each other's presence.

Sango, Miroku and the children were all still in the waiting area.

Upon seeing his father's face Kenshin stood up and walked over to him and his aunt.

"Dad! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Kenshin. Wake your sisters up. I'm ready to go home."

Miroku turned to Inuyasha. "You've already been released?"

"I'm only half human. My body can take a lot more than what you measly humans can take."

"Are you sure you're okay Inuyasha?" Sango asked him. "You were beaten pretty badly."

Inuyasha flashed his sister a tender smile appreciating her for being worried about him. He assured her that he was fine.

"I'm fine Sango. Thanks for watching the children for me."

Sango returned the smile to her younger brother before stretching in her seat.

Kagome looked at them all in blatant disgust sitting around as if nothing had transpired earlier today. She knew she should've left the situation alone but she couldn't bring herself to keep her mouth closed.

"I hope you're going straight home." She said to Inuyasha after he lifted Kara into his arms. Kenshin picked up the other twin whom they all referred to as little Kagome or Kay.

Inuyasha stiffened before staring down his sister in law.

She stared back at him refusing to cower even though his glittering gaze unnerved her more than she cared to admit.

"Back off!" He snarled.

"That tone may work on everybody else but it's doesn't do anything for me! You don't scare me not one bit."

"I have had enough with your self righteous attitude wench! You better leave me alone or this will be the last time you see any of my children again."

"Are you threatening me?"

"That's exactly what I'm doing!"

"You can't stop me from seeing my nephew and nieces!"

"You mean your nieces! You don't have any blood ties to Kenshin."

Miroku gasped and Sango covered her mouth.

Kagome walked over to Inuyasha and slapped her hand against his head. "How dare you! How dare you say that me!"

"Well your sister pretended that she accepted him. How do I know you're not pretending?"

Kagome's anger flared so bad that she balled up her tiny fists and punched Inuyasha in his chest repeatedly.

He laughed at her before grabbing her left wrist tightly.

"Don't you dare talk about my sister that way!"

Inuyasha smirked and squeezed her wrist tighter as she fought to get away from him.

"Inuyasha stop it!" Sango yelled at him.

He ignored his sister as he stared up into Kagome's face. She was extremely angry and way beyond hurt. Her eyes were large and fearful and haunting. It seemed as though if they were trying to communicate with his but he was too stubborn and hell bent on scaring her that he didn't notice right away. By the time he realized what he'd done it was already too late.

He heard his son shouting at him to release his Aunt. The poor boy was trembling with tears threatening to fall from his amber eyes and down onto his youthful face.

Miroku took Kara from him and Sango was stared at him in utter confusion.

Without meeting her gaze again Inuyasha released Kagome's hand and she fell backwards against the wall.

Kenshin ran to her and threw his arms around her neck as she gasped and stared at her wrist. It was swollen and pink and blood was oozing from it. She was in so much pain. She wanted to cry badly but wasn't going give Inuyasha the satisfaction.

"Is everything okay over here ma'am?"

Kagome looked up from the floor and noticed two demon cops standing near Inuyasha ready to arrest him at her request. They didn't see what happened but she was pretty sure that they knew that something had just transpired. All they had to do was smell her blood on him.

With Kenshin's assistance Kagome was able to stand on her own as she faced the two police officers. "I'm fine." She announced through barely steady lips.

The two men stared at her curiously as she nodded to them. She felt the need to reassure them. The last thing Inuyasha needed was more trouble to follow him tonight.

"I'm fine officers. Everything is okay."

The demon cops stared at Inuyasha and then at Kagome. The stench of her blood was on his skin permeating their noses. However, unless she was willing to press charges against him there wasn't anything they could do.

"Everything is okay." She repeated again. This time she had better control of her voice.

She waited until the police officers walked away and then she turned her attention to the boy who hadn't yet released her.

"I'm okay Kenshin."

"No you're not! Dad hurt you! Your wrist is bleeding."

Kagome took a look at her wrist and noticed that it had begun to turn a dark purple color. She winced as she began to feel the full extent of the damage done to her arm and before she knew it a tear slipped from her eye and down her cheek.

"Oh my God!" She heard someone say from behind her.

She shifted her gaze to see a nurse staring at her swollen wrist.

"You need to get that taken care of."

"I'm fine!" Kagome muttered trying to keep up the façade while on the inside she felt like bawling like a baby.

The nurse ignored her and walked over to her and began to guide her away from the waiting area. "You need to get that fixed. It looks broken."

Kagome nodded as she leaned onto Kenshin and allowed the nurse to place a sturdy hand onto her back. As they walked away she heard Inuyasha whisper her name and her back stiffened. She ignored him and continued walking.

"Kagome."

"Leave her alone dad!" Kenshin nearly shouted at his father. "You've done enough already!"

"Kagome!" He uttered her name again ignoring his son.

She felt her heart flutter as her emotions wreaked havoc on her brain.

"Kagome!"

"Dad! Leave her alone! Can't you tell she's in pain?"

"Kagome!"

Still refusing to look at him Kagome finally answered him. "I said I was fine Inuyasha. Don't worry about me. Okay? I won't bother you again. I promise."

Inuyasha felt his heart fall into his stomach. What happened to all that anger that she threw at him when she barged into his room? He didn't know whose voice came out when she spoke but it certainly wasn't Kagome's, at least not the Kagome he knew. She spoke to him in such a quiet voice that Sango and Miroku strained their ears to hear her and still couldn't. The only ones who heard what she'd said were him and his son and the nurse because they were all demons.

He watched sadly as she leaned heavily against his son and quietly walked away from them. He only meant to scare her and put her in her place. He didn't mean to physically hurt her but he ended up doing it anyway. He stared down at the floor as feelings of guilt and regret filled his mind. Tonight was definitely going to be a long night.

* * *

**Hello everybody! I decided to repost this one because it seemed easier to write then my others. I still haven't decided if I'm going to repost the other three stories. I might in the future, you never know. I'm gonna try to post new chapters as soon as I can. If you enjoyed reading it, then please post a review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2 Remembering When

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.**

**NOTE: The beginning of this chapter starts off with how Kagome and Inuyasha first met. That's why it's italicized. *Please remember that this chapter and the following ones will begin this way. Later on the chapters shifts back to the present. **

**HUGS&KISSES: AnnaliseselsmeneRomano, Arrankor, AHRG, I Love Snowy Owls, Spot2001 and InuKag Luver 1…..Thank you lovelies for your reviews. **

**CHAPTER 2: REMEMBERING WHEN**

* * *

_Pedaling on her bike 16 year old Kagome Higurashi traveled along the sidewalk to her destination. It was the beginning of summer. School was out. The weather was warm and she was on her way to begin her new job. She smiled at her minor accomplishment. She couldn't help but feel happy because it was her very first job. _

_She'd been looking for a job for nearly a year and almost gave up hope because she always wound up unsuccessful. So, when her mother told her about a babysitting job she hesitated to apply for it, because she honestly believed that she wasn't going to get called for it anyway. However, fate actually decided to play nice with her for a change. _

_After just one wee of applying she received a call from a lady named Sango Kobiyashi, stating that she wanted to interview her. Kagome was so shocked that she couldn't hide the excitement from her voice when she'd answered the phone. Two days later she met with Sango and almost immediately they clicked. Sango loved her personality and wasted no time giving Kagome the job._

_Kagome pedaled her bike faster as she took in the scenery breathing life around her. There was a little boy running around in circles with his puppy. An old lady wearing a yellow sun hat was watering her tall plants. Two girls who looked not much younger than her were playing hopscotch on the opposite sidewalk. Summer was in full swing and Kagome was enjoying every minute of it._

_Upon seeing Sango's burnt-orange brick house Kagome slowed her bike, pedaling softly towards Sango's house. She rode pass two shirtless guys washing a red pick-up truck but instead of spraying the truck they were spraying each other with water from a water hose._

_One of them had long black hair that cascaded down his back and flowed pass his waist. His eyes were cerulean blue. His smile was full of mischief and laughter. His back was smooth. His shoulders were broad and he had the sexiest pair of lips she'd ever seen._

_He seemed to notice her too because he stared at her for a long moment before flashing his cocky sensual smile at her. _

_Kagome blushed before politely smiling back at him. _

_While he was busy gawking at her the other male took that opportunity to hose him down with water._

_Kagome covered her mouth and laughed as she took in the other male's appearance. From the looks of his smooth muscular chest she could tell that he was in extremely good shape. His skin was tanned. His waist was narrow and the shorts he wore were hanging dangerously low at his hips. He was hella sexy._

_Kagome blushed hotly and her stomach flip-flopped. She started to get this funny feeling in her belly and she had no idea why. She couldn't stop herself from staring at this male. _

_She let her gaze rest upon his face. His teeth were really long and if she didn't know any better she'd have sworn he had fangs. And if that wasn't bad enough he had unusually long finger nails. She scratched her head as she continued to stare at him. He had eyes the color of golden amber and they had to be the most beautiful shade of gold that she'd ever seen. _

_His lips were full and his smile spoke of mirth, mischief, and ruggedness. His exotic look fascinated her. But what fascinated her mostly was the pair of furry triangular appendages that rested atop his head. Her hands itched to rub them just to find out what they actually felt like. _

_He was beautiful. He had to be the most beautiful creature that she'd ever seen in her entire life. For she was certain that he was a creature because she'd never encountered a human male with such exotic features that still managed to make her heart accelerate the way it was right now. _

_It felt as though if she was daydreaming and she probably could've went that whole day content that she was daydreaming but the sound of water hitting her face broke her reverie. Before she had a chance to step back the force of water slammed into her chest and she slipped from her bike and onto the ground with her bike landing on top of her._

_She wiped at her eyes. She could just imagine how silly she looked. Her bangs were plastered onto her forehead and her long hair was wrapped around her throat. She moved her legs to push her bike off of her but she didn't feel it. She reached out for it and as she did she felt a pair of strong hands latch onto hers and lift her from the ground._

_She shook her head and rubbed her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision and realized that the male with the black hair had her hands in his hands while the one with the silver hair was holding her bike._

_She blushed nervously and shivered before focusing her gaze on the both of them. Then she pulled her long hair from around her throat smoothing it back as it cascaded behind her shoulders. _

_The two males stared at her curiously both of them sizing her up. She was wearing a thin yellow tee shirt with the number 89 on the back of it written in white and pair of indigo shorts that stopped at mid-thigh. She paired them with her white Adidas tennis shoes. _

_She had very shapely legs and the sexiest muscles in her thighs. Her eyes were deep brown and full of warmth and her pink lips look as smooth as silk. Her damp skin felt as soft as a baby's bottom. She was gorgeous and had a radiating innocence that seemed to overshadow them and they both found that sexy._

_She opened her mouth to speak to them but stopped when she noticed they were staring at her tee shirt. She looked down at it to see why it caught their attention because to her it was just a plain yellow tee shirt, but it was wet._

_She gasped rather loudly once she realized what they were staring at. When she'd been sprayed with the water hose, apparently her shirt caught more water than anything else on her body and it clung to her chest so tight that you could see the pale pink of her bra as well as her breasts that were underneath it._

_And if they saw her bra and her skin was chilled, then she knew what else they were staring at. Her cheeks burned with utter embarrassment and she wished she had two quarters to cover her nipples. She yanked her arms away from the male still holding her and tried to snatch her bike from the other male but before she got a chance to get it she heard Sango calling her name._

_She looked up and watched as she made her way over to her, a warm smile dancing against her mouth._

"_You finally made it."_

_Kagome stared at Sango still feeling embarrassed. Then she offered her a shy half smile. _

"_Oh my God! What happened to you? You're soaking wet."_

_The two males smirked as their cheeks burned with embarrassment._

"_Did you guys spray her?" Sango asked as she flashed an angry glare at the two males that were supposed to be washing the truck._

"_Inuyasha did it." The black-haired male admitted before smirking._

"_It was an accident Sango!" He declared to her. "Koga was spraying water too." The male with the silver hair admitted feeling guilty for spraying the poor girl._

"_Yeah but I didn't spray her. You did that all by yourself Inuyasha."_

_Inuyasha looked guiltily at his sister. _

"_Apologize Inuyasha."_

"_I was going to."_

"_No better time than the present."_

_Inuyasha grumbled before forcing his gaze back to the wet girl. She was staring at the ground which was good for him. It was easier for him if he didn't have to look in her eyes when he said it. _

"_I'm sorry." He said to her sincerely._

_Kagome shivered before lifting her eyes from the ground to meet his gaze. She felt her heart accelerate as her stomach quivered in realization. She parted her lips and allowed her tongue to dart out and lick them. A strange feeling seized her heart. She quickly flashed him that sensually innocent smile of hers._

_The male seemed to feel it too because when she smiled at him his stomach twisted into knots as the demonic blood pumping through his veins sprung to life and slammed against his ribs gripping him in his nether region. He swallowed hard and quickly looked away from her. _

"_Thank you little brother." _

"_Keh. Would you stop that? You're not that much older than me."_

_Sango smiled at her rude younger brother and reached up to pat him on the head. _

_Inuyasha bared his fangs at her and she laughed at him warmly._

"_You'll have to excuse my brother and his best friend Kagome. Separate they're trouble and together they're double trouble."_

_Kagome shyly smiled at Sango._

"_Oh, where are my manners? I haven't introduced you. Kagome, this is Sato Koga. He's my brother's best friend."_

"_Nice to meet you." Koga said to her before flashing that handsome smile of his at her again._

_Kagome shyly smiled at him but didn't extend her hand. She folded them at her chest and looked at him square in the eyes. "Nice to meet you too."_

"_And the one that sprayed you is my little brother Ishikawa Inuyasha."_

"_Just Inuyasha is fine." He stated before glaring at his sister and slowly allowing his gaze to fall upon the girl again. "Nice to meet you." _

_Kagome met his gaze again as her heart pounded wildly in her chest. What the heck was wrong with her and what was this guy doing to her? Why did it feel like her entire being was going to explode into a thousand tiny pieces every time she looked at him? Sure he was handsome but he wasn't the only handsome guy she'd ever seen before. It was like he was sending electric currents from his body to hers shocking her whenever their eyes met. It was almost other worldly. _

"_Nice to meet you too." She replied back before letting her gaze fall to the ground. She suddenly felt out of breath._

"_Now that we've gotten that out of the way how's about I take you into the house and get you acquainted with the children."_

_Kagome's gaze flew to her bike and then to Sango. "Sure thing let me get my bike and put it in a safe place."_

"_Don't worry about that. Inuyasha will clean it off and put it in the garage for you. Won't you little brother?"_

"_Sango!" He growled._

"_Thanks honey!" She called over her shoulder before ushering Kagome away from the two males and into the house._

"_Sorry about that. They usually behave themselves in the presence of women."_

_Kagome smiled shyly. "It's okay. No harm done." She was actually quite glad to be away from the two men. She couldn't handle another moment of them ogling her breasts. At that moment she would've given anything to have a flat chest but that wasn't ever gonna happen._

_She blushed furiously. She was quite ample in the breast department and she was very self conscious about it. She was one of the few girls in her grade to blossom early and early for her was ten years old. Her mother did all she could to downplay her chest because Kagome was a bit of a tomboy as a youngster. _

_She loved to wrestle with the guys. Of course her mother made her stop by the time she reached middle school. She was nearly fully developed by the time she turned 11 and that gained her a lot of friends, although she probably didn't really know why. She was a bit of a naïveté during her wonder years and hadn't an iota of an inkling that her guy friends only wrestled her so they could cop a feel._

"_Here we are." Sango said before pointing to two young children sleeping on the couch._

_Kagome looked at them quietly. It was a boy and a girl. They looked so peaceful and innocent. She watched as they lightly snored before a triangular appendage twitched atop the boy's head and then flattened against thick dark hair._

_Kagome gasped. He had furry ears like Sango's brother. She wondered if this youngster was a child of Sango's or a sibling._

"_It's okay Kagome. He's completely harmless." Sango whispered to her._

_Kagome sighed in contentment before eyeing Sango. "His ears…they look…I mean they're cute and all but..._

"_They look like dog's ears?" Sango asked._

"_Yes." Kagome answered before covering her mouth._

"_Well they should. He's part dog demon."_

"_What? Really? I've never seen a dog demon before."_

"_Now you have."_

_Kagome stared at the little boy in amazement. She'd heard about dog demons and even seen a few cat demons but she'd never actually met either type. She did know a few if you counted her baby brother who was a fox demon and her best friend who was a wolf demon. However, aside from them she didn't often meet many of them._

"_Are you okay Kagome? Does it bother you that he's a demon?"_

"_No, not at all. It's just I've never met a dog demon before. At least I don't I ever have."_

"_Are you afraid of them?"_

_Kagome shook her head. "I don't know perhaps a little. I don't really know anything about dog demons."_

"_Those two guys you just met outside they're both demons."_

"_Even the one with the black hair?" _

_Sango nodded yes._

"_I didn't notice."_

"_Perhaps because you were too busy staring at my brother."_

_Kagome blushed and looked down at her feet for a moment._

"_It's okay Kagome. He's used to people staring at him. Just don't do it too much it kind of gets under his skin."_

"_Got it." Kagome replied before shifting her gaze back to the sleeping boy on the couch. "Wow! Dog Demons!"_

_Sango smirked at Kagome and touched her shoulder. "Seriously Kagome, you didn't notice anything weird about my brother and his friend?"_

"_Well, your brother has ears like his." Kagome said as she pointed to the sleeping boy. _

"_Trust me. Koga is even more of a demon than my brother, way more. When you get a chance, check out his dental worth. His teeth are just as sharp as Inuyasha's and he has funny shaped ears not to mention a bushy tail."_

"_He has a tail? No way!"_

_Sango covered her mouth to suppress her laughter. This girl was cracking her up._

"_I can tell the whole subject of demons is very new to you."_

"_Not really. My best friend is a wolf demon and my little brother is a fox demon." Kagome admitted._

"_You have a demon brother?"_

"_He's adopted and he's really sweet little guy."_

"_Good for you because I know firsthand all demons aren't sweet."_

_Kagome cast Sango a troubled gaze._

"_No need to worry though Kagome. You'll be fine here. Koga is a full demon but he's totally harmless. My brother on the other hand is a half demon. He can be quite intimidating sometimes. He's just as strong as Koga even more so I believe."_

"_What's a half demon?"_

"_You know. He's a hanyou."_

"_What's a hanyou?"_

"_Oh boy! You really don't know anything about demons. Do you?"_

"_Not much."_

"_Let me explain. A hanyou is person that's half demon and half human. Some people like to refer to them as half-breed because they're born from a human and a youkai breeding together."_

"_Oh!"_

"_Do you get it now?"_

_Kagome nodded as her mind went into overload. How was it even physically possible for a human to have sex with a demon? Did they even have the same genitalia?_

_Sango watched as the younger girl's brow furrowed and tried hard to access the information that she'd just given her._

"_Can I ask Sango what kind of demon is Inuyasha?"_

"_My brother is half Inuyoukai."_

"_A dog demon?"_

"_Yes."_

_Kagome frowned. What the heck? So did his mom have sex with a dog? How was that even possible?_

_Sango peered into Kagome's puzzled gaze as if reading her mind. "It's quite possible Kagome. Not all demons look like demons. Some can take on the appearance of humans."_

"_Oh my God! This all seems so unreal."_

"_I know. It's a bunch to swallow at once but it's the truth."_

"_Are you part demon as well Sango?"_

"_Are you kidding me? I'm as human as they come."_

"_Different fathers?"_

"_Yes. My father was a human. Inuyasha's dad was a powerful dog demon."_

"_Was?"_

"_Our parents are dead."_

"_Both?"_

_Sango nodded._

"_I'm sorry."_

"_Don't worry about it. It happened a long time ago."_

"_Still, losing a parent can't be the easiest thing in the world."_

"_It's not but I've learned to look at the brighter side of things. My brother and my nephew are all the family I have. It doesn't seem fair but it's enough."_

_Sango walked over to the couch where the two children rested; lovingly watching the both of them sleep. She waved at Kagome ushering her to follow and she complied._

"_They're precious aren't they?"_

_Kagome nodded. They both were good looking children._

_Sango reached down and patted her nephew's furry black ear. She loved him so much._

"_His name is Ishikawa Kenshin. This is who you'll be babysitting. The little girl next to him is a neighborhood friend. Her name is Mizuki. She comes over to visit him every now and then."_

"_Is this your brother's child?"_

"_Yes. He's a bit rambunctious at times but he's very helpful and sweet. I usually watch him for Inuyasha but I'm starting a new job and it doesn't permit me much free time. My brother does a lot of architectural work and paints in his free time. This summer isn't a very busy season for him. So you may catch him around the house quite often when you come to watch Kenshin."_

_Kagome stared at Kenshin curiously. So this was going to be the little boy she was to watch. _

"_Do you still want the job?" Sango asked her hoping she hadn't scared her with her demon talk._

_Kagome looked from Sango then back to Kenshin as an unrecognizable expression climbed onto face. She felt a strong pull on her heart that she'd never felt before. She was still unsure of all the conflicting emotions she'd experienced today but she nodded yes anyway. For some reason unknown to her she felt compelled to watch over him._

* * *

Kagome jarred awake in a cold sweat as perspiration rolled down her face. It felt like someone had hit her upside her head with a stack of encyclopedias, not to mention there was an extremely sharp pain in her left arm. She yawned and stretched her arms before sitting up in her bed and focused her eyes on the ceiling.

The ceiling was an unusual shade of pink. She always hated this shade of pink. She groaned and threw the covers that surrounded her away from her body before stepping out of bed. She wondered what time it was.

Looking up at the wall she searched for her cat clock only to realize it was missing. _Where the heck was her beloved clock?_ She frowned and then searched alongside her bed for the nightstand but she didn't feel it. She had a strange feeling that she wasn't in her bedroom.

She couldn't really tell what color the room was but she knew immediately that it wasn't her own. The lights were off and the room was so dark that it couldn't possibly be hers. She moved around a bit noting that this bedroom was way more spacious than her own.

She stumbled around until her body pressed against the cold wall. Then she felt alongside it in search of a light-switch. When she finally found one she breathed a sigh of relief and turned the switch on and was nearly blinded by the light emanating from the switch.

Her eyes burned so bad that she rubbed and blinked for at least ten minutes before they finally decided to focus and take in their surroundings. She was in an extremely large room decked out in mostly navy blue, cream and beige. There were mirrors everywhere and soft dark carpet on the floor with an emblem that looked like a crescent moon. She'd seen the symbol before and she knew exactly where.

She'd been in this same room before about two years ago but it was smaller then and the furniture in it wasn't so lavish. She frowned and reached for the door already wanting to leave. She had no idea how she ended up in Inuyasha's home but she wasn't staying here another moment.

She stepped out into the hallway and headed straight down the hall. If she wasn't mistaken Inuyasha's bedroom was at the very end of this hallway.

It took her no time to make it there and when she got there she lifted her fist and banged on his door.

He didn't respond.

She lifted her hand and knocked again and this time she heard mumbling and she knew without a doubt that he was in there.

He was saying something but she didn't quite understand.

She smirked and pressed her ear to the door. She heard water and what sounded like music in the background. Then she heard him mumbling again. He must've been brushing his fangs.

Kagome ignored his grumbling and banged on the door again. She didn't care if he was brushing his teeth. She wanted to know how she ended up at his house because it was the very last place that she intended to be while she was here in _Furigana_.

She heard Inuyasha swearing and she smiled. She loved to get under his skin. She prepared herself to give him a hard time but she was thrown for a loop when he finally opened the door and glared at her. She lost her voice.

He appeared before her naked save a white towel wrapped around his slim waist that barely reached his knees. His hair was wet and hanging down his shoulders and his back and water was dripping down his chest and onto his stomach and rolling down his towel.

Kagome swallowed hard as she willed her voice to return but it wouldn't. She had never been more certain that he was a male than she had at this very moment. She stared at him like she was just seeing him for the first time like she did when she first met him but that time she was the one wet and not him.

She felt her belly quiver as unforgettable desires and unrequited love flooded her emotions. Before she knew it her mind had wondered to that place again. That place where she tucked away all her old feelings for him. She trembled at the memory.

"Kagome?"

Her voice still hadn't returned and she suddenly felt the need to get away from him but her feet refused to move.

"Hey! Are you okay?" He asked.

Kagome stared at him as her heart thumped wildly in her chest. _What was going on?_ She didn't have those type of feelings for him anymore. She wasn't a teenager anymore. She was going to be 23 in a few months. _Why did she suddenly feel 16 again?_

She felt Inuyasha lay a hand onto her shoulder in an effort to get her attention. She just stared at him blankly and tried to get her emotions together.

"Kagome? What's the matter? Look I'm sorry about everything that happened yesterday."

Kagome didn't respond to him. She just continued to stare at him with the same blank expression.

Inuyasha tapped her on the cheek. It seemed as though if she was in a trance. She couldn't have lost that much blood. He already felt like crap for what he did to her wrist.

Inuyasha stared into her face, a look of utter confusion clouding his features. Maybe it was the drugs that had her out of it. She nearly slept a whole day away. He had to shake her from the dreamy state that she was in.

He slid his other hand onto her other shoulder then he quickly crushed her body to his, wrapping his arms around her and enveloping her in his embrace. He didn't care that he was wetting up the shirt that she was wearing. He wondered if she even knew what she was wearing.

He sighed in contentment and rubbed his claws up and down her back. She was still tired and stressed. He knew why she was tired but wondered what was stressing her out. Poor girl! She always had her mind wondering on and on about something.

Kagome's cheeks darkened. Why was he embracing her and did he have to put his nose in the crook of her neck? It was bad enough her heart was playing cruel jokes on her. She didn't need him this close to her especially right now. She could smell the strong scent of Irish mint on his breath and the heady woodsy smell of his body which was wreaking havoc on her senses. She shuddered as her body began to relax against his and slowly brought her arms around his back.

Inuyasha stiffened as he felt a jolt of electricity radiating off of Kagome's body and onto his. Familiar stirrings of desire gripped his body and he felt his breath slamming against his windpipe.

"Inuyasha." Kagome finally managed to find her voice.

He slowly released her and took a good look at her face. "Are you okay now?" He asked sincerely.

Kagome nodded. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Of course I'm okay. It's you that I was worried about."

"You were worried about me?"

"Well yeah. You came to my door and just stood there like you were lost. I thought maybe the drugs had been too much for you."

"Drugs?"

"You know. The medicine you took at the hospital yesterday?"

Kagome slowly looked down at her wrist and frowned.

"I'm sorry about your wrist. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's a bit too late for sorry."

"Better late than never right?"

"You really hurt me Inuyasha."

"I know and I'm sorrier than you'll ever know. I swear I never intended to bruise your wrist."

"I don't know if I want your apology. It's not worth much anyways."

"Aw, don't be like that Kagome. You know you can't stay mad at me for too long."

"Says who?"

"Come on Kagome! I'm sorry. What more do you want from me?"

"Give me a few days. I'll think of something."

Inuyasha smirked and nudged Kagome in the side with his elbow.

Kagome nudged him back in the same manner.

"You know you want to forgive me."

"No I don't! You really pissed me off yesterday and I don't appreciate what you insinuated about my sister and me concerning your son."

Inuyasha pretended that he didn't hear her and lifted his hands as if to tickle her.

"Stop ignoring me. I'm serious."

"So am I. I still remember how easily you succumb to my fingers."

Kagome groaned. "Would you be serious for one minute?"

Inuyasha opened his mouth to respond but stopped when he heard his son's voice.

"Dad?"

Inuyasha and Kagome jumped away from each other and both turned to face Kenshin.

"Kenshin." Kagome said his name flashing him a look of surprise.

"What is it son?" Inuyasha asked hoping he wouldn't read too much into his and Kagome's innocent situation.

Kenshin stared at his father and then at his aunt. Both of them looked flushed like they had been caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. He felt a smile tugging at his lips as he cast a cocky smirk at his father and then Kagome.

Inuyasha's cheek turned an even deeper shade of red and Kagome pressed her lips together and glared at her cocky nephew. Whenever he smirked like that he looked even more like his father. Now she knew where his sometimes cocky attitude came from.

"Everything okay here?" He asked them.

"Everything's fine." They both blurted out sounding even guiltier.

"I'm not interrupting anything. Am I?"

"Not at all honey." Kagome replied. "I just need to talk to your father for a minute."

"Is that all?" Kenshin asked in a teasing manner.

Kagome's mouth dropped open and Inuyasha glared at his son.

"Watch it Kenshin! You'll do well to stay in a child's place."

Kenshin paled for a moment before flashing his father a nervous smile. "Just kidding dad. I actually just came to ask how long it'll be before you leave. Uncle Miroku is on the phone and he's wondering what's taking you so long."

"Tell him I'll be there in ten minutes no later than fifteen."

"Gotcha." Kenshin answered before walking away, his overconfident smirk back in place.

"What did you do to my precious little Kenshin? He wasn't that mannish last time I saw him."

"Last time you saw him he was almost ten. By the way he was laughing at you while he walked away."

"What? Why?"

"Who knows? He probably thinks you came to my room to jump me?"

Kagome gasped. "What? He does not think that's why I'm at your door."

"Well you are standing at my bedroom door."

"So what! At least I'm not parading around in a towel that's barely covering anything."

Inuyasha smirked at her and Kagome clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Do you think my towel is too small? Perhaps I should discard it and get another."

"Just as long as you get it while I'm not around."

"You're one to talk. Look at that clingy little shirt you're wearing."

"I don't wear clingy little clothes." Kagome stated matter-of-factly.

"Really? You sure you don't want to take another look?"

Kagome rolled her eyes at Inuyasha before looking down at her attire. She was wearing a pale-blue cotton shirt with little roses stitched into it. It was a bit too big in the arms and kept slipping down exposing her bare shoulder. That wasn't too bad until she noticed that the shirt barely made it to her mid thigh and she wasn't wearing anything at all underneath it.

She blushed hotly and glared up at Inuyasha. "Oh my God! Kenshin! He really did think we were fooling around."

Inuyasha nodded sneakily. "Serves you right for coming down to my bedroom trying to seduce me."

"I wasn't trying to seduce you."

"Yes you were."

"No I wasn't. I didn't even know I was in your stupid house. I don't even remember what happened to me after the nurse took me into an examining room to get stitches."

"Poor baby."

"Leave me alone you arrogant jerk!"

Inuyasha giggled before laying a hand onto Kagome's bare shoulder.

"Hands off!"

He removed his hand then smiled at her warmly. "I need to get dressed so I can help Miroku with his car."

Kagome ignored his handsome smile and replied to him "What's wrong with his car?"

"He caught a flat on his way home from work."

"Then go ahead. Sango must be worried."

"You don't mind watching the children for me?"

"Of course I don't mind blockhead. I love your children."

Inuyasha stared at Kagome for a moment, a strange expression marring his features.

"Well you better get going. I'm sure Miroku has waited long enough."

"Thank you Kagome."

"Don't worry about it."

Inuyasha's smile slowly faded away as his eyes fell upon her chest. He'd probably never get the chance to joke with her again let alone catch her wearing anything this risqué again. So he decided to work her up one last time.

"Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you so much for wearing that shirt to bed tonight. I'm sure after seeing you in it I'll never have another nightmare again."

Kagome looked up at him only to realize he was staring at her chest. She groaned and folder her arms over it defensively.

"Keh. You always did have sexy nipples."

Before Kagome got a chance to reply Inuyasha pushed her out of his room and locked the door. Kagome grumbled and stomped all the way down the hall mumbling about how she couldn't stand perverted demons.

Inuyasha leaned against his bedroom door and toppled over with laughter. It was always good to push his sister in law's buttons.

* * *

**Hi there readers. Thanks for favoriting and following my story. If you've enjoyed this chapter then please review. Big thanks again to these following readers: AnnaliseselsmeneRomano, Arrankor, AHRG, I Love Snowy Owls, Spot2001 and InuKag Luver.**

**~SARANGHAE~**

**~ASIAN*DELICACY~**


	3. Chapter 3 Tension

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.**

**NOTE: Whenever you see words or paragraphs at the beginning of my chapters that are italicized it's referring to events that happened in the past. That's how most chapters in my story will begin. Later on it returns to the future. I want to give my readers more information on Kagome and Inuyasha's history. Please try to remember this.**

**CHAPTER 3: TENSION**

* * *

_Spill it girl!_

_Kagome looked at her best friend Ayame in confusion. "Spill what?"_

"_Don't feign innocence with me. I see that starry faraway look you have in your eyes."_

"_I don't have a starry faraway look in my eyes."_

"_And the sky isn't blue. Who are you trying to fool? I've known you long enough to know when someone has caught your attention."_

_Kagome blushed at her best bud since the 6th grade and then stared out of her bedroom window._

_Ayame smiled at her affectionately. "So who is he?"_

"_His name is Inuyasha."_

_Ayame furrowed her brow and pressed her lips together. The name didn't sound familiar. _

"_He doesn't attend Daigon County High with us. Does he?" _

_Kagome nodded no._

"_He must go to Malei High then."_

_Kagome nodded no again._

"_Well what high school does he attend? Daigon and Malei are the only high schools in this county."_

"_He doesn't attend a high school around here."_

"_Then he must live in another city."_

"_Not exactly."_

"_Since you want to beat around the bush about what high school he attends I'm gonna assume that he's probably a drop-out."_

"_No! That's not it. I mean, I don't really know."_

"_Which is it Kagome?"_

"_He's not in school anymore."_

"_Then he must be a drop-out."_

"_No! He graduated already. At least I think he did."_

"_Either he did or he didn't."_

"_I don't really know."_

"_I know you don't. You don't know anything about him. Do you?"_

_Kagome nodded yes._

"_You don't know anything about the guy and you're already pining after him. You're a hopeless romantic girly."_

_Kagome blushed and turned away from window. "I can't help it. He's the most gorgeous creature I've ever seen."_

"_Creature? He's a demon?"_

_Kagome nodded again before turning a curious gaze towards her friend._

"_Whoa! I didn't know you were into demons girl?"_

"_Ayame you're my best friend and you're a demon."_

"_Yeah, but being friends with a demon and dating one are two different things."_

"_Well I never said that I wouldn't date a demon. I just never gave it any consideration because I never saw one that really caught my eye."_

"_True, and probably because there aren't many that we go to school with." _

"_Maybe. I don't know."_

"_Okay tell me. What's so great about this one? What is it about him that's got you so captivated?"_

_Kagome smiled and shifted her gaze from Ayame to her window again, admiring the bright stars shining like diamonds in the night sky._

"_He's really gorgeous. He has thick, long, silver-white hair. It tumbles down his back in waves like silvery moonlight. His skin is smooth and tanned. You can tell he stays out in the sun for a really long time. He's in really, really good shape, at least his upper half is."_

_Ayame smirked and giggled at Kagome. "What about the bottom half?"_

"_I didn't see that part of him just the upper torso, but I guess it's safe to assume the bottom half is just as delectable too."_

_Ayame whistled and Kagome giggled before continuing her description of Inuyasha._

"_He has a really narrow waist and the sexiest patch of silver hair just below his navel." Kagome closed eyes for a moment, remembering all the thoughts that ran through her head when she met him three weeks ago. "He has really sharp fangs incased in the most alluring pair of lips that I've ever seen."_

"_Those fangs can cut you too." Ayame joked._

"_Well it's a cut I'd gladly accept. I wish you could see him Ayame. He has these golden-amber eyes that just burn into your soul. And his ears. He has the most adorable dog ears. They looked so beautiful and soft and furry. I wanted to rub them so bad as soon as I saw them."_

"_Dog ears? Is he a hanyou?"_

"_How did you know?"_

"_Because you never see full demons with a pair of dog ears. As a matter of fact you hardly ever see mixed bred demons."_

"_Who cares? He's gorgeous and they're my favorite part of his body."_

"_You sure your favorite part isn't that patch of hair below his navel?" Ayame teased._

_Kagome blushed before forcing her gaze to her best friend. _

"_What? You're the one that said it was sexy. I saw the way you looked after you said it, closing your eyes in anticipation."_

"_Oh Kami-Sama but he's so gorgeous. I can't help it. Whenever I looked at him he made me feel the strangest things."_

_Ayame's gaze went from playful to serious. "What strange things?"_

_Kagome walked over to her window and leaned against it but kept her gaze on her best friend as she spoke. "My heart starting beating really fast and my stomach twisted into knots. Every time I looked at him it was like a volt of electricity shooting through my body. With just one piercing gaze he sent shivers down my spine. I felt magnetically drawn to him. It was so intense that I couldn't look away from him if I wanted to."_

"_Whoa! Sounds pretty heavy."_

"_I know. I've never felt like that before with anyone."_

"_Not even with Hojo or Tenchi?"_

_Kagome nodded no. "I don't know what it is about him. I just know that I'm drawn to him in a way I've never been drawn to a man before."_

"_Man?"_

_Kagome blushed and forced her gaze away from her best friend. She'd forgotten to mention that her current crush was a grown man with a soon to be seven year old son._

"_Kagome? How old is this guy?"_

"_He's a little bit older than me."_

"_How little? 18? 19?"_

"_A little older than that."_

"_How much older?"_

"_Just 24."_

"_24! That's eight years! He's totally robbing the cradle!"_

"_It's not that bad. I'm going to be 17 in a few months. So technically he's not quite eight years older than me."_

"_He's not trying to date you, is he?"_

"_He doesn't even know I exist."_

"_That's good because he's too old for you."_

"_Eight years isn't that bad._

"_Yes it is."_

"_No it's not. If I was 20 and he was 28 nobody would even care."_

"_Well here's the thing Kagome. You're not 20. You're still 16."_

"_I'll be an adult in another year. So what's the problem?"_

"_The problem is you're not an adult now. If this guy has sex with you he could get thrown in jail."_

"_Who's talking about sex?"_

"_Kagome, the guy is 24 years old. What if you and he start dating and he wants to sleep with you? Has the whole concept of him being sexually active never crossed your mind?"_

"_Look, I know he's already had sex before."_

"_But you never have."_

"_Well I can't stay a virgin forever."_

"_Would you listen to yourself?"_

"_I'm joking Ayame."_

"_You'd better be!"_

"_Seriously, I really don't see what the big deal is. So what if I have feelings for a grown man."_

"_Because he's a grown man and he's probably use to things that you've never even dreamed about."_

"_Everything isn't about sex Ayame."_

"_For you maybe but that's all guys ever think about. Trust me. I have four older brothers and it's all they ever talk about." _

"_Stop trying to make me feel bad."_

"_I'm not trying to make you feel bad Kagome. I'm just trying to get you to see the big picture here. You're too young to be dating someone that much older than you."_

_Kagome groaned and shot Ayame an angry glare. "I don't care if he's 24 and I'm 16. It's not that big of a deal."_

"_It is a big deal Kagome."_

"_It's not to me. I don't care if he's eight years older than me. I don't even care that he has a 6 year old son. I really don't."_

_Ayame gasped and stared at Kagome in shock. _

_Kagome looked away from her best friend._

"_He has a child?"_

_Kagome's eyes fell upon the burgundy carpet of her bedroom floor._

"_Kagome?"_

"_Yes he has a child!"_

"_Wow! You sure do know how to pick them buddy."_

"_Don't make fun of me."_

"_I'm not. It's just that I never expected you to fall in love with a grown man."_

"_I'm not in love with him, maybe just infatuated."_

"_Well if you're not too careful with that infatuation it can turn into love. So you'd better watch yourself. It wouldn't do you any good to fall in love with an older man."_

"_I can be infatuated with him if I want to. It's not like he'd ever give me the time of day. He knows that I'm too young anyways."_

"_And that you're inexperienced."_

_Kagome glared at Ayame._

"_I'm only stating the obvious. Demons can sniff out just about anything especially dog demons. So I'm pretty sure he's already smelled your inexperience." _

_Kagome cracked a smile at Ayame who had begun sniffing the air._

"_You look silly Ayame."_

"_Hey! Do you think this guy is a butt sniffer?"_

"_What?"_

"_He is half dog isn't he?"_

"_Ayame you watch too much television."_

"_Dogs do sniff each other's butts."_

_Kagome shook her head and laughed at her best friend. She always managed to say the strangest things._

* * *

"What do you mean lost?" Kagome practically yelled into the phone. "I need those suitcases. I don't have time to wait for you guys to figure out what happened to them."

Inuyasha smirked before sending Kagome a humorous smile.

Kagome rolled her eyes at him and began to pace the floor.

"This doesn't make any sense. It's been nearly four days and you people still haven't figured out what happened to my luggage."

Kagome groaned and looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a black tank top and a pair of red and black checkered boxers, both of which she borrowed from Inuyasha. The only clothes she had with her was what she wore when she arrived in Furigana four days ago and that too little shirt Inuyasha had given her to sleep in. She had nothing to wear and she refused to purchase new clothes because her suitcases were stuffed with clothes. So, until she found them, she was stranded with her brother in law and his children.

Inuyasha watched as Kagome paced the floor in irritation. She'd been on the phone for nearly an hour trying to locate her missing luggage. He watched as the boxers she wore kept slipping just a fraction below her hips. They were too big for her but they were the smallest pair he could find. She was also wearing his black tank top which was too big but it fit her just right and she wasn't wearing a bra. He was in heaven. It was actually funny to watch her pace around with her cell phone in one hand and the waist of his boxers in the other one.

"It's Higurashi Kagome. My name is written on both of the suitcases in black. The suitcases are turquoise and yellow."

Turquoise and yellow? _What?_ "Doesn't sound like a good color combination to me."

Kagome pulled the phone away from her ear and turned to face him. "I wasn't talking to you dog demon and for your information turquoise and yellow look great together."

"I bet it doesn't."

Kagome growled at him. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Not really and besides this is my house."

"Please don't remind me. It's the very last place that I want to be."

"Well nobody's begging you to stay here."

Kagome rolled her eyes at him again and resumed her conversation on the phone. She waited for the new information but unfortunately her luggage still hadn't been located. She sighed and looked at Inuyasha.

"Do you mind if I give your home phone number to _Sato Airlines_? I want to leave them two contact numbers."

"Keh. What's in it for me?"

"Come on Inuyasha!"

"Kiss my feet!" He joked.

Kagome balled up a fist and waved it at him before giving his telephone number to the customer care center of _Sato Airlines_. Then she ended her phone call.

"I didn't say you could give out my phone number."

"Well I guess I owe you a favor then."

"Anything I want?"

"Yeah whatever."

"I'm gonna hold you to that Higurashi."

Kagome cast a glance at Inuyasha wearily, wondering what he had in mind. "What's going on in that head of yours Ishikawa? You'd better not be thinking of anything weird. If you are you can forget it."

"No I can't because you already agreed. You said anything I want."

"I meant within reason Inuyasha."

"Well you should've clarified that."

"I can't win with you. Can I?"

"Nope. May as well give up and comply with my demands."

"When hell freezes over."

"That can be arranged."

"Where are the kids?"

"The twins are over my sister's house and Kenshin is outside washing his bike."

"Maybe I should go outside and help him wash it. It beats sitting around the house with you."

"Nobody's begging you to stay here wench! You can leave at any time."

"Trust me. If I had my luggage I'd be gone already."

"You're just saying that. You probably lost your luggage on purpose."

"And what reason would I have for losing my luggage purposefully?"

Inuyasha smirked. "So you could spend some extra time with me."

Kagome gasped. "You wish! Why would I want to spend time with you?"

"Why wouldn't you want to spend time with me?"

"Don't flatter yourself dog-boy. You're not irresistible."

"My name isn't dog-boy and I am irresistible."

"No. You're very resistible."

"Oh really?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you parading around my living room in that get-up?"

"You're the one that gave it to me!"

"Well you didn't have to put it on."

"Of course I had to put it on. I couldn't just walk around here naked."

"It's a free world and I certainly wouldn't mind."

"The day I walk around this house naked is the day I grow dog ears."

Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest and laughed at her. "Too bad you're not hanyou."

"Thank heavens." Kagome said before combing her fingers through her tousled hair.

Inuyasha stared at her as she stretched and twisted her fingers in her hair. She'd forgotten about those loose boxers again. They slid pass her waist and were now hanging dangerously low at her hips. He licked his lips. If his boxers slipped any lower pass her hips he'd die a sweet and tormenting death.

"_Sweet Kami-Sama_!" He muttered.

Kagome looked over to Inuyasha and glowered. "What's your problem now?"

"Hair."

Kagome stared at him in confusion before assuming he was referring to her untamed mane. "Screw you Inuyasha! I know my hair looks like crap. Who said yours is a sight to see?"

Inuyasha shook his head. "You don't shave."

Kagome furrowed her brow and lifted her arms. "Of course I shave. Underarm hair is gross."

"Underarm hair isn't gross, not that it matters either way to me."

"Well it matters me."

"Keh. Who said I was talking about underarm hair anyways?"

"You were. You said I didn't shave. So I had to correct you."

"I wasn't talking about your pits." He smirked.

"Well what else could you have been talking about?"

Inuyasha's gaze went from Kagome's pelvis to her eyes and then back to their original destination. Then he winked at her as his cheeks burned with amusement and something else that he refused to acknowledge.

Kagome followed his eyes before hesitantly meeting his gaze. Inuyasha's boxers were hanging way too low and she immediately knew why he was staring at her. She gasped before grabbing the waist of his boxers.

"_Oh my God_!"

Inuyasha flew into a fit of hysterics.

"_Oh my God_!"

"I knew you had a lot of hair Kagome but I had no idea there was so much down below."

Kagome's cheeks flamed red and burned with embarrassment. "Why you disgusting little pervert! I'm gonna kill you!" She roared.

Inuyasha continued to laugh before Kagome flung her body at him. She wrapped her hands around his neck and began choking him. Her hands were so small that they couldn't hurt him even if she wanted them to.

Kagome growled when she realized he was still laughing at her and then lifted her leg. "You think that's funny? Let me show you what I think is funny."

Inuyasha laughed so hard till tears fell from his eyes.

"Laugh at this dog-boy!" Kagome growled before kneeing him between his legs.

Inuyasha's smile immediately turned into a frown.

"Not so funny is it?" Kagome said before kneeing him again.

This time he fell down on the floor and yelped.

Kagome then began kicking him.

"Okay Higurashi! I get the point."

Kagome ignored him and continued to kick at him.

"Cut it out Kagome!"

"I'll stop when I feel like stopping."

Inuyasha growled before grabbing Kagome's leg. He pulled her forward and she fell right on top of him.

"What are you trying to do, give me _blue-balls_?"

"Serves you right for staring at me! God! I never knew you were such a pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert."

"Yes you are! These boxers slid down my waist and you knew that I was exposing myself and you didn't say anything. How would you like it if you were in the same predicament and I saw your _cock_?"

Inuyasha swallowed hard as his muscles tightened in his stomach.

"That can be arranged."

Kagome growled before reaching up to pull his ears.

"Ow! Watch it Kagome! I'm really sensitive there."

"Don't I know it."

"Let go!"

Kagome ignored him and continued to pull on his ears. "How bad do you need these?"

"Kagome! That hurts!"

"I know. That's why I'm gonna pull them until you learn your lesson."

"Believe me I've learned it."

Kagome pulled on his ears and screamed really loudly into them.

Inuyasha glared at her before yanking her hands away from his ears. "Are you trying to make me deaf?" He asked before trying to flatten his ears against his hair but couldn't.

Kagome glared back at him before looking at his ears. She noticed immediately that the skin on the inside of them was very, very pink. They were probably sore. She smiled at her accomplishment and inched her hands back up towards them.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Checking out my handiwork."

"That's not necessary."

"Let me take a look. They look painful."

"You'd better not pull them again."

"I won't."

Kagome touched Inuyasha's ears with her fingers, gently rubbing the skin on the inside. It was smooth and very delicate and it was extremely soft beneath her fingers.

She suddenly felt guilty. She'd forgotten how sensitive his ears really were. If he hadn't gotten her so angry she would've just threw something at him instead of pulling on his ears.

Inuyasha relaxed and leaned into her touch. He thought about lifting her from the floor and tossing her down the hall but those little fingers of hers were working their unforgettable magic on his ears.

Kagome sighed enjoying the feel of Inuyasha's furry smooth ears. With her being this close to him she could smell the fresh scent of cedar and bergamot on his skin. He smelled unbelievable. She felt herself shifting closer to him to inhale his aroma.

"Don't take this the wrong way but you smell really good Inuyasha."

"Really? You like the way I smell?"

"Yeah. It's very earthy."

Inuyasha smirked. "You're trying to seduce me again."

"Get real." Kagome said before releasing his ears briefly. "Is that better?"

"Almost. I think a little kiss would make it all better."

Kagome smiled sneakily before leaning down towards Inuyasha. She brought her lips to his ears and lightly kissed both of them and then began caressing them again. "Is that better?"

Inuyasha replied with a nod. "I guess. How about we try the lips next time?"

"I don't think so."

"Don't want to get addicted do you?"

Kagome laughed and playfully punched him. "I'm sorry for pulling your ears."

"You should be."

"But you deserved it. You shouldn't have stared at me like that."

"And you shouldn't have flashed me."

"I didn't! You are so unbelievable!"

"Unbelievably dreamy. Right?"

"Dad? Aunt Kagome?"

Inuyasha and Kagome both froze for a moment before lifting their gaze to their new audience.

Kenshin was staring down at them with a look of confusion and humor on his face.

"Kenshin!" Inuyasha and Kagome both replied nervously.

"What's going on?" He asked them.

"Uh, we sort of fell down." Kagome said before forcing her gaze from her nephew's face.

"On top of each other?"

"Yeah. I tripped over a book and then your aunt tripped over my legs."

Kenshin looked around them, already knowing that his father was lying. He brought a long claw to his jet-black hair and pretended to scratch his unruly mane as his hanyou ears twitched about wildly. His nose also began to pick up an unfamiliar scent.

"I don't see any book dad and if Aunt Kagome tripped over your legs, shouldn't her body be turned in the opposite direction?"

Inuyasha cursed his misfortune. He never could fool his son.

"Kenshin honey, I know how this looks, but it's really not that bad." Kagome said to stop his overactive mind.

Kenshin stared at her strangely before noticing that Kagome's hands were attached to his father's ears. He broke out into a wide grin as something suddenly came back to his memory.

"Dad, why is Aunt Kagome rubbing your ears?"

"I hurt myself." Inuyasha lied.

"I thought you told me that it's not good to let a girl rub your ears because it would make you wanna…

"Kenshin!"

"What? You told me I couldn't do it!"

"You can't!"

"Then why are you letting Aunt Kagome rub yours? Aren't you gonna have the same reaction?"

Inuyasha blushed angrily as Kagome's gaze went from Inuyasha's to his son's. What the heck were they talking about? "Am I missing something here?" She finally asked.

Inuyasha groaned as he shifted beneath Kagome's body.

Kenshin stared at them both as he suddenly noticed the alien aroma emanating from Kagome and the even stronger one coming from his father.

"You smell funny Aunt Kagome."

"What?" Kagome asked oblivious to Kenshin's keen senses.

"You smell funny too dad, really funny."

"I need a bath." Inuyasha groaned.

"I thought you already took one."

"Don't you have a bike to clean?"

"I finished it already."

"Well go wash my bike then."

"Dad! I hate washing your motorcycle. You get too much dirt on it."

"I'll pay you."

"Sweet!" Kenshin shouted, forgetting about his aunt and father and running out of the house.

Kagome hurried and lifted her body from Inuyasha's. Then he stood up after her.

"You pulled me on top of you on purpose. Didn't you?"

"I did no such thing."

"Excuse me for not believing you but that's the second time this week that your son has caught us in a compromising position."

"Last time it was my fault. This time was all you."

"How so?"

"You flung yourself at me."

"You would blame me. If your mind wasn't in the gutter all the time I wouldn't have attacked you."

"Don't pretend you're innocent!"

"I am! You're the one always throwing your sexuality at me."

"I do not!"

"Yes you do Inuyasha. Who's always the first to take advantage of a totally innocent situation? You! And who's the one always staring at me or making sexual comments about my anatomy? You and only you!"

"Keh. Don't act like you don't like it."

"I don't!"

"Well you could've fooled me."

"Whatever! Just keep your hands to yourself."

"That goes double for you. You touch me just as much as I touch you."

"Yeah but you always initiate it."

"Oh come off of it Kagome. You and I both know that you never could resist me."

"You need to get over yourself because I'm not after you like that."

"Are you sure about that? I still haven't forgotten the way you used to stare at me when you thought I wasn't looking."

Kagome grew quiet and looked away from Inuyasha. _How dare he bring that up!_

"I saw you every time."

"I was a silly teenager back then."

"You're still silly."

"Shut up!"

"Those days seem like a lifetime ago. Don't they?"

"They were a lifetime ago Inuyasha."

"Time flew by too quickly."

"Not for me it didn't." Kagome mumbled.

"Why do you say that?"

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Ooh! Am I pushing your buttons?"

"Drop dead!" Kagome muttered before turning to walk away from him.

"Hey!" Inuyasha said before grabbing Kagome's arm. "Are you mad?"

"I'm fine. I just wanna go lie down."

Inuyasha let his gaze fall upon Kagome. He was touching her but she refused to face him. He'd brought up something that obviously still bothered her. She couldn't possibly still have feelings for him. Could she? He suddenly felt guilty. If she did have feelings for him then perhaps he should stop throwing his sexually laced jokes at her.

"Look Kagome…

"I'm sorry Inuyasha. I really am. Please don't worry about me."

Inuyasha almost flinched at the sound of her voice. That was the second time in two days that she told him that. How could she tell him not to worry about her? He couldn't remember a time when he didn't worry about her.

The sound of footsteps and voices broke Inuyasha and Kagome from their conversation and they both looked up to find Sango staring at the both of them.

"Is everything okay guys?"

Inuyasha let his hand fall away from Kagome's arm before turning toward his sister.

"Hey sis! Where are the girls?" He asked, deliberately ignoring Sango's question.

"They're in the car sleeping with their cousin Miatsu. Miroku is gonna bring them in."

"I'll go help him." Inuyasha replied before swiftly exiting his home.

Sango stared after him before shifting her gaze to Kagome.

"Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine Sango."

"Then why are you donning that forlorn expression?"

"It's okay Sango. Really?"

Sango stared at the younger woman who she loved liked a little sister. There was something bothering her even if she refused to admit it.

"Kagome?"

"Don't ask okay. I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind. Please don't worry about me."

"Okay. I won't ask, but please don't tell me not to worry about you because that's something I'll always do."

Kagome nodded before attempting to head back to the room she'd been staying in for the past four days.

"Hey Kagome? How long are you going to be staying here?"

"I don't know. Maybe a few weeks. I have the entire summer off."

"Good for you."

"Just one of the perks of being a school teacher." Kagome replied to make conversation with Sango. She desperately wanted to get back to her room.

"Well pencil a day in for me so we can catch up on our girl talk." Sango said before shooting Kagome a warm smile.

"I can definitely do that." Kagome replied with a smile back at her good friend.

"I better go help my brother bring in the twins."

Kagome nodded and began to walk away but stopped again when Sango called her name.

"Yes."

"I just remembered why I asked how long you were going to be staying here."

"What is it?"

"I saw one of you ex-boyfriend's when I was in the grocery store today and he asked about you."

Kagome frowned. _Who'd be asking about her?_

"I wasn't for sure if I should tell you. You guys didn't part on good terms, but I feel like you should be prepared should you see him again."

Kagome felt her heart quicken. She already knew who Sango was talking about and yet she found herself asking anyway.

"Bankotsu."

* * *

**Hey readers! I managed to get another chapter out for you. I want to give a big thanks to everyone who's taken the time out to review my story. If you've enjoyed this chapter please let me know by reviewing. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. I love you guys!**

**~ASIAN*DELICACY~**


	4. Chapter 4 And Our Feelings

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.**

**NOTE: Whenever you see words or paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter that are italicized, it's referring to events that happened in the past. That's how most chapters in my story will begin.**

**CHAPTER 4: AND OUR FEELINGS**

* * *

_Kagome looked up at the little boy as squeals of laughter and excitement erupted from his mouth. She watched as his little body swayed back forth on the swing. He was wearing a green tee shirt with blue-jean overalls and a pair of all white Classic Chuck Taylor Converse. She smiled herself as he pushed his body forward, seemingly having the time of his life._

_She'd been babysitting little Kenshin for a little over two months now. Though two months didn't seem like a long time, she'd already grown very much attached to him as he did her. Most days when she arrived at Sango and Inuyasha's house, Sango was already gone and InuYasha would be out back working on cars or painting since his architectural job wasn't too promising this summer. She usually had little Kenshin all to herself._

_Today she decided to take him to Everglade Park. The weather was nice and warm with an occasional breeze dancing about the air. She was glad that she decided to dress for the weather. She wore a simple lavender tank top with a v-cut in the front and some little black shorts that exposed way more of her legs than she was used to showing and a pair of all black Ecko sneakers. _

_Earlier before she'd left to go to work, her mother complained that she was showing too much skin. Of course she ignored her because she didn't see anything wrong with what she was wearing. She was often told that she had great legs. Maybe she just felt like showing them off today. It wasn't like somebody was going to notice her. The person she wanted to notice her never gave her a second glance. _

_Well that wasn't entirely true. He would look at her, even steal a few glances, but that was it. Maybe she just wasn't his type. Either way she'd never know. Their conversations never went beyond Kenshin. She'd tried several times attempting to engage him in other subjects but he didn't seem interested in hearing her talk about anything other than his son. _

_Why want you notice me InuYasha? _

_Kagome folded her arms across her chest as intense feelings seized her heart. Why did this man affect her so much? Not that she considered herself drop-dead gorgeous or Kami's gift to men, but she never had a problem attracting male attention. In fact, she was even granted the opportunity of turning some away. And yet, this one that she wanted so much, who was so close to her, was still so far out of her reach. _

"_Aunt Kagome?"_

_The call of her name brought her out of her fervid thoughts and she found herself looking for Kenshin. He was still sitting on his swing which had come to a complete stop._

"_Aunt Kagome?" _

_Kagome waved at Kenshin as a loving smile played across her lips. She'd almost forgotten that she allowed him to call her that. No, she wasn't his aunt, but he just began calling her that one day and she didn't have the heart to stop him. Sango didn't have a problem with him calling her Auntie and neither did his own father. So if they were okay with it then so was she. She walked closer to him and ruffled his long hair, his furry black ears twitching atop his head._

"_Are you ready to go home munchkin?" _

_Kenshin laughed at his charge before replying to her. "I'm not little."_

"_You are to me." Kagome giggled._

"_I'm not a dwarf!"_

"_No, but you're still my munchkin." Kagome replied playfully._

_Kenshin smirked at Kagome and she ruffled his hair again. Whenever he did that he looked so much like his father. The only difference was his father had silver hair and his hair was the color of the midnight sky. She'd never seen a more beautiful pair in her entire life. _

"_Aunt Kagome?"_

"_What is it honey?"_

"_Do you think we can stop by Clara's Parlor for an ice-cream cone?"_

"_What's Clara's?"_

"_You've never been to Clara's Icecream Parlor?"_

_Kagome nodded no before replying back. "I'm not from this part of town Kenshin."_

"_Well you gotta try Clara's icecream. It's the best icecream in the world."_

"_Really?"_

_Kenshin nodded. "We'll pass it on our way home. I'll show you where it is."_

_Kagome nodded before looking down at her watch. It was time for her to get Kenshin back home. The park they were at was a good distance from Inuyasha's house. So if she wanted to make it back home in time to give Kenshin his bath and put him to bed, then she needed to leave the park soon. _

"_Ready for that icecream munchkin?"_

"_Can I get one last swing first?"_

"_I don't think that's a good idea. It's getting pretty late. How about a quick piggy-back ride?"_

_Kenshin nodded enthusiastically._

_Kagome crouched down before him as he stepped off of his swing and climbed onto her back. She adjusted his little legs at her waist as he slipped his tiny clawed hands around her neck._

"_Hold on tight munchkin, but not too tight so you won't cut my neck with your claws."_

"_Okay Aunt Kagome."_

_Kagome shook her legs before patting Kenshin's knee and he giggled happily._

"_Are you ready little buddy?"_

_Kenshin nodded._

"_Here we go!" Kagome shouted before taking off at super-human speed._

_Kenshin squealed in excitement as the wind blew Kagome's hair against his face. He moved it out of the way with his nose as he shifted a bit higher on her back to get a better view of the world around him._

_He could feel the warmth of the sun in the sky, although he knew that it would be setting soon. The clouds were hanging low and looked about as soft and snuggly as his bed at home. The tall trees seemed to extend all the way up to heaven as the sound of nature echoed in harmony all around him. _

_This is what he enjoyed most. Like his father, he loved to be around nature. He loved playing in the forest and tumbling into piles of leaves. He loved life and loved to feel it moving and dancing and breathing all around him. It was at moments like these he felt complete._

_Kagome ran about wildly slipping between trees and away from the swings. She heard the cry of an owl in the distance as the color of the sky shifted, preparing for nightfall. It was such an exhilarating feeling and she relished in it as a warm summer breeze settled onto her face. _

"_Are you having fun munchkin?" She asked Kenshin from behind her._

"_Yes!" He screamed._

_Kagome giggled as she ran about a bit more before stopping. Without so much as a warning she pulled Kenshin from her back and set him on the ground before her. Then she grabbed him around his waist and lifted him from the ground and swung him around in circles over and over again._

_Kenshin kicked his legs and laughed in between screams. He was having so much fun that he silently prayed that this day would never end. It had been too long since he'd had this much fun. He gripped Kagome tighter and laughed and laughed and laughed._

_Kagome's heart flip-flopped as his warm laughter touched her soul. Kenshin was such a beautifully precocious child. She could tell he loved his Aunt Sango and his father very dearly, but she always wondered about his mother. Nobody ever said anything about her and Kagome always found herself wondering if she was dead. She wanted to know about her but she couldn't bring herself to pry because it wasn't really any of her business. _

_If she was indeed dead, then she truly felt sad for Kenshin. The little guy was just bursting with so much love to give. Any woman would love to have him for a son. Heck, she would herself._

_Kagome pressed her lips together as that last thought registered in her mind. She found herself wanting to protect him as if he were her own. For reasons she couldn't explain she abruptly stopped swinging him and gathered him into her arms. _

_Kenshin was so dizzy and out of breath that he didn't resist her tight embrace. He rested his head against her belly as he felt her ruffling his long hair. He loved his Kagome more than anything in the world. _

_Kagome shuddered as she stared down at his ears. Something in the back of her mind told her that she'd seen Kenshin way before Sango introduced her to him over two months ago. He reminded her of this girl that used to babysit her when she was younger. What if she was somehow related to Kenshin?_

_Before Kagome had a chance to ponder her new found information any further, something wet fell from the sky and onto her nose. She brought her gaze skyward as she continued to cling to Kenshin._

"_Oh great!" She groaned. She didn't feel like getting soaked today._

_She finally released Kenshin and he looked up at her, a look of perplexity donning his beautiful face. _

"_What's the matter Aunt Kagome?"_

_Kagome smiled before shaking her head. She wiped her eyes only now realizing that she'd shed a few tears. Did his reminding her of her old babysitter affect her that much?_

"_I'm fine munchkin. I was just remembering an old friend."_

"_Don't cry Kagome. You still got me."_

_Kagome's eyes glittered as unshed tears threatened to fall from her eyes. _

"_I love you munchkin."_

"_I love you too Aunt Kagome._

_She bent down and hugged Kenshin again but this time briefly. Then she released him and folded his small hand inside her own, careful not to pierce herself with his claws._

"_Let's get out of this rain before it decides to attack us at full speed."_

_Kagome and Kenshin speedily walked hand in hand to Everglade Park's parking lot. She saw her bike resting against the rusted, silver gate surrounding the cars. There weren't many cars left which meant there were just a few people at the park, herself and Kenshin included. _

_By the time Kagome made it to her bike she realized that the back tire had a flat. She placed a hand to her forehead and groaned out loud. It was already raining and it was getting dark. The last thing she needed on top of that was a bike with a flat. Kenshin gripped her hand tighter before shivering and she looked down at him. _

"_Are you cold?"_

"_A little bit."_

"_My bike has a flat. So we definitely can't take it home."_

_Kenshin shivered again and Kagome knew that walking home was out of the question. _

"_Maybe I can call to see if your dad has made it home. Neither one of us needs to be out in this rain."_

_Kagome stuck her fingers into the pockets of her shorts and pulled out her cell phone. She was starting to shiver herself. Maybe she should've opted for a pair of jeans instead of the little shorts she was wearing. She made a mental note to herself to begin taking her mother's advice. _

_Flipping open her phone, she made an attempt to place a call to Inuyasha's home, but just as she did her phone died. She groaned irritably. The last thing she needed was to be stranded in the park with a little boy who was too far away from home. If it wasn't raining she'd walk but she didn't want Kenshin to get sick._

_She stared around the parking lot momentarily, trying to decide on her next move. Besides her bike, there was a black Cadillac car and a navy blue Chevy van in the parking lot. She didn't want to ask a stranger for help but it looked like she was running out of options._

_Still clutching Kenshin's hand, she walked a small distance from her bike and headed to the Cadillac. There was a guy sitting behind the steering wheel. She waved a hand to him and he quickly rolled his window down._

"_Excuse me sir. My bike has a flat and I was wondering if you had cell phone I could use so I could make a call."_

"_Sorry Miss. I don't have a cell phone. There are some pay phones over by the east end of the park."_

"_Thanks." Kagome muttered before walking away._

_The guy pulled away from her and drove away from the park. The only automobile left inside the parking lot was the navy van. She didn't know who it belonged to but she was hoping that whoever drove it had a phone she could use. She was already very wet despite the fact that it hadn't even begun raining hard. _

_Kenshin sneezed and Kagome brought his body closer to hers and rubbed his jaws. There wasn't much she could offer him being that she herself was thoroughly soaked. She heard footsteps splashing against the wet pavement and immediately she brought her gaze forward. _

_There were two guys nearing her. They looked about her age, possibly a year or two older. The taller of the two had brown shoulder length hair. The other had light blondish-brown hair and it was braided down his back. _

_Kenshin stared at them and immediately eased behind Kagome._

"_Hey there little lady. Do you need any help?" The taller male asked her._

_Kagome frowned at Kenshin before staring at both of the guys for a moment. Then she answered them. "Do you happen to have a cell phone I could use?"_

"_I sure do." The taller male answered cheekily. He had a blue PDA in his hand. He moved closer to her and then handed her the phone._

"_Thank you. I'll only be a minute."_

_Kagome took the phone and began to dial Inuyasha's home number. It rang a few times and then went to the voicemail. She ended the call and decided to try calling him again._

"_No answer?" The same male asked her._

_Kagome nodded no before feeling Kenshin tug on her tee shirt._

"_What is it munchkin?"_

"_I'm scared." He whispered to her, hoping the two males couldn't hear him._

"_I'm not gonna let anything happen to you Kenshin._

_He nodded no before tugging her tee shirt hard. She pushed the phone away and leaned down to him as he inched close to her ear. He knew what his nose was telling him. _

"_Aunt Kagome we need to leave. Those guys smell like blood and something else. I don't know what it is but I don't like it."_

"_Are you sure?" She whispered back._

"_Yes."_

_Kagome shuddered as her breath hitched in her throat. She had to stay strong for Kenshin. It wouldn't do either one of them any good if she was to get scared now. She handed the male his PDA back before flashing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes._

"_Any luck?" He asked her._

"_Yeah. I was able to reach who I intended. Thanks so much for your help." _

"_You're welcome. Do you need a ride?"_

"_No thank you. Now if you gentlemen would excuse me. I need to get going."_

_Kagome squeezed Kenshin's hand as she turned to walk away. Immediately she was halted as the other male who'd been silent, jumped in front of her. _

"_Excuse me." She said to him, trying to keep her voice steady._

"_Don't leave just yet baby. My buddy and I was hoping we could get to know you better."_

"_Please move out of the way."_

_The male grinned at her widely before licking his lips. "I like your outfit."_

_She heard the taller male moving behind her. With one before her and the other behind her she knew she was trapped. Her stomach trembled as she tried to force away her fear._

"_I need to take him home. Please move out of the way. Please!"_

"_If we let you walk away, what are you gonna give us?"_

"_I don't have any money."_

_The male before her moved closer, openly staring at her wet tee shirt. "Honey, I didn't even have money on my mind. Did you Mazuma?" He asked his friend behind Kagome._

"_Not at all Tien." The taller male replied. "But I'm sure we can come up with an agreement."_

_Kagome felt the male called Mazuma grab a handful of her hair and grip her backwards. With his free hand he tossed his keys to his friend. "Get the backdoors open." _

"_Let her go!" Kenshin yelled._

"_I almost forgot about the little twerp." Mazuma said before shifting his gaze. "Toss the keys back to me Tien. I'll open the van doors. You take care of him."_

"_No! Leave him alone! Don't hurt him!" Kagome screamed. _

_Tien smirked at her before snatching Kenshin from Kagome's grasp. _

"_Don't hurt him! He's just a little boy."_

"_He looks like a half-breed to me." Tien replied before grabbing the boy around his neck. _

_Kagome pushed against Mazuma and he slammed her against his van. He grabbed her wrist and she bit down roughly into his exposed arm. He yelped before slapping her hard across her face. The impact sent her scrambling to the ground._

_She watched as Tien strangled Kenshin. Her eyes burned with anger. She had to get to him before things got worse. If by chance she made it out of this parking lot alive and Kenshin didn't she wouldn't be able to live with herself._

_She felt Mazuma grab her again and lift her from the ground. Refusing to give him another chance to attack her she brought her head forward and slammed it against his as hard as she could butting his head with so much strength that this time it was he who fell to the ground. The impact sent him crashing down deadly and he cracked his skull as his body heavily came down onto the pavement. _

_She too had fallen to the ground but landed on top of him. Her head throbbed with a pain she'd never felt in all her sixteen years of living. She felt nearly close to fainting but she forced herself to her knees and crawled towards Kenshin._

_She hadn't heard a word from him throughout his altercation or hers. In fact, she hadn't heard anything from Tien either. Forcing her gaze forward she noticed the two of them lying down on the ground and neither was moving. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she inched closer to them._

"_Kenshin?"_

_She saw his ears twitch._

"_Are you okay?"_

_He twitched his ears again before lifting his body from the ground. He stared at her for a long moment before growling like a wounded animal. _

_Kagome watched in horror as he moved closer to her. He had blood dripping from his lips. Without even looking around she knew that it came from Tien. His eyes were no longer the beautiful shade of gold like his father's. They were blood red and his fangs were longer than usual. The look on his face nearly frightened her more than the two guys that attacked both of them. _

"_What's the matter with your face?" She whispered. _

_He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then he advanced on her. Kagome sat on her knees frozen as Kenshin pounced on her. He knocked her onto her back and growled at her before baring his fangs._

"_Kenshin? What's the matter? What happened to you?"_

_He growled at her again._

_Kagome blew out a shaky breath before slowly touching his wrists. She rubbed her fingers across his hands trying to calm him. She was scared out of her mind at his transformation and tried anything to soothe him so he could return to normal._

_She felt her hands grow warm as her body started to feel lighter. She sat up with Kenshin still in her embrace. His growls suddenly subsided and grew into soft whimpers. She stared up at his eyes as they shifted from crimson red back to their normal shade of amber._

_He offered her a weak smile before drifting off into a sleeplike state. Kagome released a small sigh and crushed Kenshin to her chest. She looked around at the two bodies that lay sprawled out on the ground and then she broke down. The reality of what could have been their fate had finally settled into her mind and she found herself weeping her heart away._

_With Kenshin still in her arms, she forced her body to stand. She felt pain all over and her head was pounding with extreme force. She looked around for a minute trying to figure out what to do. She was so physically shaken up that she didn't realize her hands were trembling._

_She stared down at them and gasped. They were still very warm and there seemed to be a pinkish-white sheen about them. Her stomach churned as the pain in her head increased._

_What was wrong with her hands?_

_Her body began to sway. She was gonna faint. She could feel it all over as waves of nausea ran through her nearly limp form at lightning speed. _

"_Kagome!"_

_As soon as she heard the voice she couldn't help but smile. She turned around and focused her gaze onto InuYasha. He was running towards her. Her eyes blinked with painful tears._

"_Kagome!"_

"_You came." She uttered before closing her eyes. She felt herself slipping away. _

_InuYasha reached out and caught her before she could fall to the ground. With his son protectively shielded against her chest, he easily lifted the both of them and soared like an eagle to his red pick-up truck up and away from any more impending danger._

* * *

Kagome shifted uncomfortably in her bed of seven days. As much as she wanted to she just couldn't get comfortable in this bed. It also didn't help that it was a water bed. She hated water beds with a passion. Knowing InuYasha he probably gave her this room on purpose just to work her nerves and he was definitely working them, but not for long.

Her luggage finally arrived today and she was able to get into some of her own clothes. After her last altercation with InuYasha in the dining room she refused to wear another article of clothing that belonged to him. He had no idea how much he embarrassed her.

She lifted her body and sat up in bed. She needed to get a hotel room. Living under the same roof with InuYasha for two and half months wasn't her idea of a good summer vacation. Her leaving would probably upset his children but what else was she supposed to do?

The only reason why she came to _Furigana _was to check on him because he kept getting into fights and drinking. She had no plans to stay forever, but her brother in law refused to stay out of trouble. He needed someone to intervene. Sango tried talking to him as well as Miroku, even his best bud Koga, but InuYasha wasn't trying to hear any of them. She had no idea why she even bothered trying.

_Kikyo_. _Her mind quickly reminded her._

That was exactly why. Inuyasha's children were also her dead sister's children. She felt her heart thunder wildly in her chest. She was in a deadly car crash two years ago that sent her to the hospital where she spent the last six days of her life.

Kagome clutched the front of her nightshirt tightly.

_Why couldn't you have fought harder Kikyo?_

She pressed her lips together forcing her thoughts away from her sister's death. All she had left of her were memories and her children. That's why she couldn't so easily walk away and let InuYasha live his life recklessly. She had to make sure they were okay.

Throwing the covers away from her body, she stepped out of bed. Her throat suddenly felt dry so she decided to get something to drink. She hated walking around barefoot but she wasn't about to flip the lights on to find her slippers.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was fifteen minutes after three in the morning. At least everyone was asleep. She quickly made her way to the door and opened it before stepping out. She walked as quietly as she could to the kitchen.

Once there, she headed for the refrigerator and opened it. She grabbed the carton of _Mott's Apple Juice_ in the corner of the top refrigerator shelf. It was about half full. She closed the silver door of the _Frigidaire_ and skipped over to the cupboard to retrieve a cup.

She quickly filled it and set it onto the kitchen counter. Then she placed the carton of juice back into the refrigerator. Walking back over to the counter, she sighed as the gentle winds of the fresh morning air blew her hair about her face wildly.

The window just above the sink was still open from earlier today. Kagome downed her mug of juice before leaning over the sink to close the kitchen window. Truth be told, she was quite enjoying the early morning breeze from the window.

She placed her cup into the sink and walked to the back door of the house and peered through the window of the door. It was about twenty minutes after three and it was still quite dark outside. Her eyes gazed around the large back yard searching for something. The moment she located it her eyes lit up like _Christmas in Time Square_. She punched in the numbers to unlock Inuyasha's security code and then she opened the door.

The gentle blowing breeze from the air hit her body and she shivered and rubbed her arms. She stared down at her sleepwear. She was wearing a pale pink night shirt that was about mid-thigh in length and she was still barefoot. Perhaps she should've grabbed a robe before leaving her bedroom. Well, she didn't plan to stay outside long. So a few minutes couldn't hurt.

She quickly tip-toed out of the house and across the grass to the coniferous tree she liked to sit under whenever she visited the Ishikawa family. It felt like the grass was tickling her feet. She giggled and bent to sit down with her back pressed against the tree. A feeling of contentment invaded her senses.

She stared up at the black sky admiring the stars that shined like tiny diamonds in the distance. If she could fly to the heavens she'd comb the sky and gather as many stars as she could and pile them high in a basket. Then she'd shower them down on the inhabitants of the world. All dreams would come true.

That was the child still inside her that refused to die. She'd made a wish on the stars too many times to count in her childhood. Of course most of them never came true but that didn't discourage her from making wishes. She closed her eyes for a moment as her mind reflected on this past week's events.

Kenshin called her house, frantic about his father's condition. She tried to give him a piece of her mind which angered him and he squeezed her wrist so tightly that it swelled and his claws punctured her skin. Then he accused her of not really caring for his oldest child which was so far from the truth. Then she tried to talk to him about it and he completely ignored her as if nothing happened.

And yet…..She was living in his house…For the summer at least.

She groaned inwardly. _Why was she still so weak around him?_ They never even had a relationship, but that was his fault. He turned her away when she so boldly admitted that she had feelings for him. That still wasn't enough. She wasn't stupid.

She knew he desired her. She'd catch him staring at her way longer than a regular friend would. When she called him out about it he denied it and ignored her. The whole situation was too difficult to deal with, especially when she had to be around him while babysitting Kenshin. Though she'd never been in a sexual relationship, barely even a friendship, the sexual tension between the two of them was difficult to miss.

She had the strongest and strangest feelings for him as he did her. Although hers concerned matters of the heart. His were all physical. He desired her body. She was certain of it, and she would've gladly given it to him but he pushed her away. She was too young for him, as he so often told her.

She could still remember how crushed she was when he repeatedly rejected her. It always broke her heart but nothing compared to the hurt she felt when she found out he knocked up her sister. It took years for her to get over it. The worst part about it was that her sister and InuYasha both were drunk when it happened.

They didn't know each other. There was no physical attraction. There was nothing between them. _Nothing_. They just happened to run into each other in a bar one night. He was drinking away his sorrows because he was sexually attracted to a teenager. Kikyo was upset because her boyfriend Kurama cheated on her with her best friend Tsubaki. One thing led to another and by morning they both woke up naked in the back of Inuyasha's red pick-up truck.

Kagome sighed as her heart fluttered madly. That was the worst day of her entire life. It was worse than standing by and watching the two of them utter their emotionless wedding vows. She felt tears misting over her closed eyes and she bawled up her fists. It still affected her and that made her upset.

It was nearly seven years ago when that happened and it still bothered her to think about, which meant that she still had feelings for that obnoxious, thick-skulled half-demon and he probably was aware of it. That's why he always made inappropriate comments to her or openly stared at her lustfully.

Sometimes when he did it she'd feel like a deer trapped in headlights. Her body always had an uncanny knack of betraying her when she was in his presence.

The fact that his super sensitive nose could sniff her out didn't help either. If she was aroused or lying she couldn't ever hide it from him. It was so embarrassing.

She twitched uncomfortably above the cool grass. She knew he desired her when she was a teen but she wondered about now. He still looked at her the same way, but now he seemed bolder about it. Maybe he thought he was finally going to sleep with her.

She sighed inwardly as her stomach twitched into knots. That wasn't ever going to happen. Sleeping around may have been his thing but it wasn't hers. Not that she had anybody to compare him with. Her cheeks flamed red as feelings of embarrassment engulfed her psyche. She wondered if knew.

Not that she didn't want to. It was just…..well, the opportunity never did come up.

No. That wasn't it either. She had other boyfriends and she knew they were willing.

_Then what was it? _

Was it because she never stayed in a relationship long enough to develop serious feelings for them?

_I'm such a loser._

Most of her friends were married. So of course they were having sex. Heck, even her friends that weren't married had by now. Everybody except her. It was pretty pathetic.

Who would've thought after 22 years she'd still be a virgin? Not that it was the worst thing in the world to be, because it wasn't. In fact, she was pretty sure she wouldn't have been one if that twisted, maniacal and masochistic ex-boyfriend of hers hadn't held his sword to her throat and tortured her in his apartment.

She shivered and shook off the chills spilling down her arms. The last thing she wanted to do was think about him. She didn't ever plan on seeing him again, but Sango had already mentioned that she saw him and he asked about her. The last time she saw him was six years ago and she still wasn't ready to face him. Maybe coming back to _Furigana_ wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Why are you sitting outside in the dark at nearly four in the morning?"

Kagome's eyes flew open as her thoughts came to a complete halt. InuYasha peered down at her from above. She moved to stand and he waved a hand to stall her movement.

"You don't have to get up." He said before plopping down on the ground against the tree beside her. "Did you come out here to think or something?"

Kagome shifted a bit to face him; noticing immediately that he was shirtless and wearing a pair of tan silky looking pajamas. He was also barefoot but that was normal for him. The guy didn't like wearing shoes.

"I couldn't sleep." She finally replied to him.

"Really? Why not?"

"I don't know. I guess I had too much on my mind."

He turned a bit more inward as he took in her attire. She was wearing one of those short night-shirts that she liked to sleep in. He glanced at her bare legs as they lay against the grass. Her skin was wonderfully creamy against the pale pink of her shirt and her long black hair blew about wildly, tangling itself against the morning breeze.

He looked away from her quickly. Looking at her wasn't an easy thing. He always found himself thinking and wanting to do the wildest things to her. It didn't help that she didn't mind showing off that sexy little body of hers. He couldn't help it. It just wasn't fair.

He was a man used to getting whatever he wanted but he couldn't have his sister in law. If he ever thought of pursing a relationship with her she'd probably turn him down, which he'd deserve. She may have still had feelings for him but that wouldn't matter. She was a very loyal person and probably thought if she hooked up with him she'd be betraying her sister.

"What are you doing up yourself InuYasha? You're usually in bed till six in the morning."

He smirked at her. He guessed there were just some things about him that Kagome would never forget.

"Are you smiling?"

"Maybe."

"What for? I know I couldn't be the source of your mirth."

"If you say so."

Kagome rolled her eyes at him.

"You're so clueless Kagome."

"What? Are you trying to insult me?"

"No. It's just that you're so naïve and it's funny."

"I'm not naïve."

"Yes you are."

"Are you implying that I'm not smart or something? I'll have you know that I'm probably the only intelligent friend that you have."

"Before you get your panties in a twist, I'm not trying to insult you. However, you are naïve."

Kagome gasped.

"That's not a bad thing Kagome. You know I'd never try to make you feel bad about being who you are. There's nothing wrong with being who you are."

"What are you trying to say InuYasha?"

"You're candid."

"I'm candid?"

"Yes, and you're simple and plain and open."

"Remind me how any of those characteristics you just named are compliments."

"You're perfect Kagome. Those are all good qualities. You're a woman with simple needs. You give your love away as if it's the most natural thing in the world to do and I love that about you."

Kagome felt her chest tighten. _Was she hearing right?_ Did Inuyasha just admit that he liked no loved something about her. She stared at him in utter shock.

"You're right. You are one of the most intelligent people that I know. And eventhough this is true you're still blatantly oblivious to noticeable things that happen right under your nose. Your innocence is adorable."

Kagome felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment. He was making fun of her. She suddenly got defensive.

"Inexperience?"

"What?"

"I think the word you were looking for was inexperienced. You just said innocent because it was a nicer word and you didn't want to offend me."

Inuyasha stared at Kagome as his eyebrows came together in realization. She assumed that he was implying something that he wasn't. Now he was gonna have to correct her inaccurate assumption.

"I know what I meant to say to you."

Kagome muttered something under her breath and he felt himself getting upset.

"For your information _Ms. Know-It-All_ I wasn't trying to make fun of you. And further more I don't really know much about your personal life to call you inexperienced. It's not my business anyways. What you do or don't do behind closed doors doesn't have anything to do with me."

Kagome glared at him and folded her arms across her chest. "Well excuse me for assuming the worst. You joke so much it's difficult to tell when you're being truthful."

"I'm going back to bed." Inuyasha announced before standing up from the ground.

Kagome quickly shot to her feet before grabbing his arm. "Don't leave on my account."

"I'm not. I'm actually still tired."

"Liar."

Inuyasha shook Kagome's hand from his arm. "You know what you're problem is? You need to stop acting so childish all the time."

"Childish!" Kagome blurted in disbelief.

"Yes childish! You're a grown woman still carrying on like a teenager."

"I do not act like a teenager!" Kagome shouted.

"Well you sure are one hell of an actress."

"As if you can talk! You don't act any more like an adult than I do."

"Keh."

"Keh to you! You egotistical obnoxious blowhard!"

"Right back at you, _Ms. Inexperienced Lin Higurashi_!"

Kagome growled and flexed her fists.

Inuyasha laughed at her. "Are you planning to use those on me?"

Kagome growled again before lifting her leg and kicking Inuyasha in his knee.

"Keep it up wench and I'll break that little leg right off your body."

Kagome smirked and kicked him again. "You don't scare me Inuyasha. You talk big but you don't have the balls to do anything about it."

"Do you wanna find out?"

Kagome laughed and lifted her leg again but this time Inuyasha caught it and forced her back into the coniferous tree they'd sat under moments ago. He smirked at her.

"Let me go jerk!"

"Make me! After all, I don't scare you."

"You don't scare me!"

"No I suppose I don't." Inuyasha whispered as he moved in on her. "But I do intimidate you and there's nothing you can do about it."

Kagome's body went into shock as Inuyasha intentionally pressed his body into hers, forcing her closer to the tree. His cocky gaze stared into her eyes trying to read her emotions. She couldn't move. He held her prisoner against the tree.

"Get off!" She yelled.

"Why should I? You grab me whenever you want to. How do you expect me to keep my hands to myself when you yourself don't do it?"

Kagome turned her eyes away from Inuyasha's. She couldn't look into them because she knew if she stared long enough her body would betray her. She cursed herself for her weakness to him. It was something that she never did understand.

"Get off me Inuyasha!"

"Give me a reason to!"

"I don't want you all over me."

"Yes you do." He replied as her body begin to relax.

"Move!"

"No."

"Please!"

"Why should I?"

"Because you're making me uncomfortable."

"No I'm not. I'm making you horny."

Kagome stared at the ground, wishing she could find something to throw at him.

Inuyasha released his hold on her a bit before lifting her face so that she met his gaze. He slid her body up the tree until her hips were pressed intimately against his. A shuddering gasp slipped pass his lips.

Kagome's throat felt incredibly thick and her knees were wobbly. Her heart was slamming inside her chest and begging to be released. It felt as though if she was gonna pass out. He was too close to her. Her body pulsed with excitement and she could feel her resolve slipping.

Inuyasha stared at her lips, finding it hard to breathe. He wanted to taste her so badly, if only just to see if she tasted just as sweet as she did when she was sixteen. She forced that one on him but he never forgot about it.

"I wanna kiss you." He whispered breathlessly.

Kagome closed her eyes and nodded her head. "No!"

"You can't say no to me. You never could."

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I can't!"

Inuyasha groaned. "Don't say that! You want me! I can tell you want me. I can smell you and you smell so good."

"Inuyasha!"

"I want you too Kagome!"

Kagome eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring at Inuyasha's mouth and before she had a chance to reply he slammed his lips against hers. Her mouth was soft as it pressed against his exploringly. She'd kissed him before but this one he initiated. Her heart fluttered happily and she opened her mouth against his. Her tongue came out and licked his bottom lip before nibbling on it with her teeth. Inuyasha shuddered and moved his tongue against Kagome's as their mouths fused together in an age old dance.

Kagome trembled and slowly brought her arms up and slipped them around his neck before combing her fingers through his thick silver mane. She melted into his touch as her mind became fuzzy. Somehow they ended up away from the tree and were now against the door that they both had come out of. Her hips were still pressed against his as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

She heard Inuyasha opening the door before tugging her inside and by the time she focused her gaze she realized they were in his bedroom. She smiled at him as he pressed her body down onto his bed. He climbed on top of her and pressed his lips to her neck.

Kagome sighed in sweet contentment and slid her hands up his head and rubbed her fingers against his ears. He slid down her body; kissing at her collar bone. She slid up his body; kissing and nibbling on his ears. When she ran her tongue along the inside of his furry appendages he lost it. His ears were his weakness. He grabbed the bottom of her night shirt and ripped it from her body. Then he stared down at her body hungrily.

Kagome's eyes slowly popped open. Inuyasha loomed above her panting with a heavy lidded glare. His golden gaze held her still and she was captivated. She watched as his eyes roamed down her body, from her face to her breasts and beyond. Only her purple lacy boy-shorts saved her from being completely nude.

Inuyasha tugged on them as his eyes became misted with red. He was losing control of the demon inside of him and he was ready to set him free.

Kagome gasped as her heart fluttered about wildly. Her breath fanned across his face and before Inuyasha made another move warning bells went off in her head.

This was her sister's house. This was her sister's husband. This was her sister's bed. Feelings of guilt dug into her heart and she went rigid in Inuyasha's embrace. She couldn't believe what was happening and of her own free will.

"Stop!"

"What?" He mumbled against her skin.

"Stop it!"

He laughed.

"Stop it! I can't do this! We can't do this!"

"What? Why?"

Kagome shook her head before staring into Inuyasha's eyes. She felt tears welling up in her own.

"Kagome?"

"It's wrong!"

"No it's not!"

"Yes it is. I can't do this. Not to you! Not to my sister!"

"Kagome?"

"I can't do it. I'm sorry!" Kagome pushed out of Inuyasha's embrace and headed for the door.

"Kagome wait! Can we at least talk about this?"

"No! I shouldn't have let you kiss me. I'm sorry! There can't ever be anything between us."

"Ever?"

"I'm sorry Inuyasha! I'm really sorry!"

Kagome unlocked the door to Inuyasha's bed room and fled down the hall to the safety of the guestroom. She had to get out of this house and she had to get out of it soon.

Inuyasha looked on as she slammed and bolted the door to her bedroom. They both were too caught away in their drama to notice Kenshin standing in the hallway staring in utter confusion.

"Is everything okay dad?" He asked his father.

Inuyasha groaned and waved his oldest child off. He always had the good fortune of showing up at the most inopportune times.

* * *

**Hello readers! Yes I actually found time to update. I hope you guys/girls have enjoyed this chapter, as writing this story has really become my favorite thing to do lately. Things are getting really crazy between InuYasha and Kagome and they're just gonna get even crazier in the upcoming chapters. For a second I forgot this story was rated T...LOL. I almost went overboard. There's still a lot I need to explain about their past which I will eventually. Hope this chapter was a good read for everyone. Big thanks to those who actually read and reviewed each chapter. If you enjoyed this chapter please let me know by reviewing. That lets me know that you're actually enjoying my story. Thanks for the love.**

**ASIAN****DELICACY**


	5. Chapter 5 Killing My Life With His Words

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.**

**CHAPTER had been edited. Please excuse any mistskes.**

**NOTE: Please remember that all italicized paragraphs at the beginning of the chapters refer to past events. That's how most chapters in my story will begin.**

**CHAPTER 5: KILLING MY LIFE WITH HIS/HER WORDS**

* * *

_InuYasha watched the steady rise and fall of the girl's chest as she lay asleep in his bed. It was his only way of knowing she was still alive. Her usually shiny, midnight-black hair was pulled away from her face and strewn about his pillows. She was dressed in an old pair of blue-jeans that once belonged to Sango and a black tank top that belonged to him. It was pretty much all they had to offer her, because leaving her in her wet clothes wasn't an option._

_He stared down at her for a long time before wiping her face with a damp cloth. It had been nearly three hours and she hadn't awakened yet, which meant she really must have fought her attackers hard. He quietly took in her delicately bruised appearance._

_She had a small cut on her bottom lip. Her forehead was slightly swollen and her wrists were pinker than usual. He cursed himself. If he had been just a minute too late, neither Kagome nor his son might've made it, and just the mere thought of living with that guilt was almost too much for him to handle. He sighed and combed his bangs away from his forehead._

_It was a miracle that both Kagome and Kenshin made it through the entire ordeal nearly unscathed. They both had bruises, but they were minor compared to the damage inflicted on the two fools that brazenly attacked them. He might've felt bad about being a half-breed sometimes, but it sure did come in handy and he was grateful for that._

_Kagome shifted uncomfortably in his bed before reaching her hand out. She was feeling for something, but InuYasha had no idea what. Her eyes fluttered wildly before she let out a small whine and struggled to sit up in his bed. She turned on her side._

"_Kenshin!"_

_She felt something wet being pressed to her forehead and she tried to focus her gaze. Her head was still pounding. It felt like she'd been hit with a hammer. Where was she? Where was Kenshin? She groaned and forced her body up before calling for him._

"_Kenshin?"_

"_He's okay Kagome."_

_Kagome's eyes blinked rapidly. It felt like the light from the lamps were blinding her. It was so strong when it hit her eyes. She still kind of felt groggy but she had to find InuYasha's son._

"_Kenshin?" She wailed. She still hadn't heard a word from him and she was beginning to panic. What if he was hurt and nobody could save him. "Kenshin? Honey, where are you?"_

"_Kagome? Snap out of it! Kenshin is fine."_

_Kagome frowned as her eyes finally gained focus. There, just a few inches away from her sat InuYasha. She felt her throat grow heavy and her heart burn with the light of a thousand suns. Without a second thought, she threw her arms around his warm, hard body and embraced him._

"_Oh InuYasha! I thought I wasn't gonna see you again." _

"_You're okay now." InuYasha said as he held Kagome to his heart, her small form trembling in his arms. _

"_I was so worried! I thought they were gonna hurt little Kenshin!" She wept sorely._

"_Shh, it's okay Kagome."_

"_He got choked and I wanted to help him but I couldn't. They held me down."_

_InuYasha closed his eyes for a moment as Kagome spoke. He knew exactly what those two men intended to do to Kagome and probably would have if she and Kenshin hadn't acted quickly to defend themselves. They both had to be going on pure adrenaline._

"_Did they-?"_

_Kagome shook her head. "They never got a chance to. The guy that grabbed me tried to force me into his van but somehow I got away. He tossed me roughly against it but at the end of our scuffle, he was the one on the ground and I was the one walking away."_

"_You actually beat him up?" InuYasha asked incredulously. _

"_Not exactly. I butted my head against his with as much force as I could muster and he went crashing down, splitting his head open. After that he didn't get back up."_

_InuYasha frowned. The two men that attacked Kagome and his son were twice the size of Kagome. He knew because he sized both of them up. The one guy whose head was bleeding was no doubt the one that attacked Kagome, because the other had deep fang prints carved into his neck, which he knew were delivered by his son. _

_He shook his head as his mind tried to make sense of how Kagome and Kenshin managed to make it out of their situation alive. It just didn't seem believable and that puzzled him a great deal, but not nearly as much as the white-pinkish hand prints on the body of the guy Kagome head-butted. He thought that to be extremely strange. His thoughts were interrupted as Kagome resumed speaking._

"_I went to help Kenshin, but he'd already taken care of the guy that attacked him. He didn't even need my help."_

"_He's half demon. Half demons are very strong."_

"_I know." Kagome said before wiping her yes. "I just had no idea they were as strong as they are. I didn't know you guys could transform."_

_InuYasha frowned and pulled Kagome away from his chest to peer into her eyes. Surely, she hadn't witnessed his transformation._

"_What's the matter?" She asked when he kept staring at her._

"_You said Kenshin transformed."_

_Kagome nodded._

"_Surely, you're mistaken." _

"_No! He did!"_

"_Did you see him?"_

"_No, but he did. He had these jagged purple marks across his jaws and his eyes were the color of the crimson moon."_

_InuYasha swallowed hard. His son had to be completely terrified if he transformed._

"_InuYasha?"_

"_What?"_

"_I was so scared."_

"_I know."_

"_Not just of the two men."_

"_I know."_

"_When I first noticed his change, he looked at me like he wanted to devour me."_

_InuYasha grew silent. He didn't know what exactly to say at this moment. He wasn't going to tell Kagome that Kenshin wouldn't attack her, because he honestly didn't know whether or not he would've._

"_The look he gave me made the hairs on my head stand straight up. For a brief moment, I thought he actually was gonna kill me but I don't know. I guess when it actually came to it, I just felt in my gut that he never would actually harm me."_

_Kagome closed her eyes for a moment and leaned back into InuYasha's chest. It felt so good to be here with him like this, even if just for a short while. She knew eventually he'd make her sit up on her own. Her heart swelled as intense emotions attacked her entire being. _

"_He crawled over to me and growled as if to attack me. I tried to soothe him with my hands and I guess that did the trick. He recognized me and suddenly calmed down."_

"_I'm glad he did, because if he hadn't, he might've actually attacked you."_

"_Surely you don't mean that."_

"_I most certainly do!" He said harshly, but in a barely audible voice._

"_Why?"_

"_We're part demon, Kagome. It's in out nature to attack. That's just the way it is."_

"_But you're only half demon."_

"_It doesn't matter. Half demon or full demon. A demon is a demon, especially at the point of death."_

"_But Kenshin didn't seem like he was at the point of death."_

"_Well, my son is a bit different from me. I only transform when I'm near the point of death. Kenshin's transformations usually occur out of fear. It's a defense mechanism."_

"_So, what you're saying, is that Kenshin was afraid to die?"_

"_No. I think he was afraid that you were gonna die."_

"_Oh."_

"_Look Kagome, it might be best if you didn't take Kenshin out to the park anymore, at least for a while. I'd hate to see what would happen if he transformed again and there were innocent people around."_

"_You actually believe he'd harm innocent people?"_

"_I know he would."_

"_No!"_

"_Yes he would!"_

"_I don't believe that sweet little boy would kill somebody."_

"_Believe me Kagome. He can and he will. He might be a little boy but he's very capable of murder. Both of us are. We're not ourselves when we transform. That's why I have to keep a firm grip on him. It's bad enough he doesn't know his own strength."_

"_He doesn't know his own strength?"_

"_No he doesn't. There are a lot of things he doesn't understand yet because he's till quite young."_

"_Like?"_

"_Unlike me, Kenshin isn't half demon and half human. He's an all together different case. You see, his mother was half demon and half human too."_

"_Really? So, what does that make him?"_

"_Still a hanyou but more more human and more demon than I am. That's why when he transforms, it's a bit difficult to call him back to himself. I don't know how you managed to get to him but I'm eternally grateful to you for being able to work such magic on him."_

_InuYasha reached down and enveloped Kagome's small hands inside his own._

_Kagome blushed and stared down at the floor._

"_These little hands of yours must possess some mighty fine power." InuYasha joked._

_Kagome nervously brought her gaze up to his and openly stared at him. _

_InuYasha stared back at her. He felt the atmosphere shifting between them._

_Kagome's chest tightened as her heart began its usual dance against her ribs as it always did when ever InuYasha stared at her like he was doing now. Her emotions were plainly written across her face. She loved him. The thought both scared and excited her at the same time. She felt herself leaning closer to him._

_InuYasha continued to stare at her as his heart accelerated out of control. Her face was a mix of innocence and heady desire. She was moving closer to him and there was an undeniable change in her scent. The strong smell nearly knocked the breath out of him. He needed to get away from her. He closed his eyes for the briefest moment as he felt her move. She pressed her forehead against his._

"_Kagome?" Her name a sensual caress upon his lips._

_She silenced him with her fingers. Then clumsily leaned up and pressed her lips against his and the fireworks began. Her mouth moved against his gently; enjoying its soft texture. His mouth came open with a sigh and his breath fanned across her lips. Kagome's breath hitched in her throat. Her body felt too hot. She gazed at Inuyasha breathlessly. His heavy lidded glare had her body desiring things she never had before. _

_Their lips smashed down against each others. InuYasha pulled her closer to him as she forced every bit of expertise she contained into this kiss. She wanted it to be perfect for him. She wanted him to know how deeply she loved him. She licked at his nervously before slowly sliding her tongue into his mouth. I__nuyasha shuddered and pulled her closer till she was sitting in his lap. Her nervous hands fumbled into his thick, silver mane and she pressed her breasts into his chest. _

_Inuyasha groaned against her mouth. He should've pushed her away and he knew it. He wasn't totally in control right now but he knew he couldn't let things get out of hand. However, all coherent thoughts went out the window when he felt her tongue brush under his chin. She couldn't have known what she was doing. Her hot, wet tongue moved against him and he nearly fell to his death._

_He pulled her against his body and savaged her mouth like a untamed beast. He fisted his long claws through her disheveled, midnight-black hair and pressed her down onto his bed. His hands moved from her hair to her neck and then to her breasts. Clawed fingers rubbed impatiently against hardened nipples as erotic sounds erupted from their mouths. _

_Kagome rubbed her nervous hands against his back as he lay heavily against her. She felt the full extent of his desire and her body trembled in fear. She wanted him so badly. She was both excited and frightened about what lay ahead. She'd dreamt of being with him like this for months. _

_InuYasha continued to lap at her mouth while his hands strummed against her skin. Kagome's stomach quivered in fear and anticipation. They were moving into unchartered territory. The thrill of it all shocked her to the core but things didn't have to move too fast. She gently tugged onto his hair._

"_InuYasha?"_

_He didn't respond to her._

_She smiled and pulled his hair harder._

"_What?" He whispered breathlessly._

_Her face grew ten shades redder. "Could you slow down. I've never done this before."_

_InuYasha growled, only now realizing who he was kissing and what exactly he was about to do to her. _

"_Kagome."_

_She smiled at him nervously. "That won't be a problem, will it?"_

_He stared at her and growle again. His desire suddenly disappearing and turning into rage. He cursed his weakness before sitting up and harshly yanking her from his bed. _

_She stared at his hands, roughly handling her. "What's the matter?"_

"_Get out of my room!" He yelled at her._

"_What?" She asked, half trembling at the sound of his voice._

"_You heard me. I want you out of my room. Now!"_

"_But I...you want me...what did I do?" _

"_Don't ask me any questions! Just get out of my room!"_

_Kagome folded her arms defiantly as her hands trembled. "Why are you mad? What did I do? Whatever it is I'm sorry."_

"_I'm not gonna repeat myself again." He spat at her._

"_InuYasha, please! What did I do? I didn't mean it." She apologized, unaware of why he was really angry with her._

_He grabbed her hands. "Since you don't seem to know where the door is, maybe I should show you."_

"_No! Please! I love you!"_

_InuYasha stiffened at her confession and flinched like she'd shot him with an arrow._

"_Don't say that!"_

"_But I do! I love you very much!"_

_"No you don't! You just want me to pop your cherry."_

_Kagome blushed angrily and shook her head. "No! I really love you."_

_InuYasha moved closer to her til she was pressed against the back of his door. She saw conflicting emotions in his eyes. She sighed and cowered before him._

"_Stop it!"_

"_InuYasha!"_

"_Stop it! Now! You do not love me! You're not even old enough to know what loving someone feels like."_

_Kagome shook her head._

_InuYasha glared at her. "You are not in love with me. You're a confused teenager with a crush on a grown man and you don't know what to do about it."_

"_I know how I feel InuYasha!"_

"_No you don't little girl!"_

"_I'm not a little girl!"_

"_Yes you are. You're 16 years old and I'm 24. Why would you even want to have a relationship with someone my age?"_

"_I don't know! I just know how I feel when I'm around you and whenever I'm away from you."_

"_It's just a phase honey. That's all it is. You don't love me and I certainly don't love you."_

"_But you were gonna make love to me."_

_InuYasha laughed and smirked at her. "No lil darling. I was just trying to get laid. There wouldn't have been any love involved. _

_Kagome gasped and clutched a hand to her heart._

"_Don't act surprised Kagome. I'm not in love with you. You know that."_

"_But you want me. I see the way you look at me."_

_InuYasha laughed again. "I'm a man Kagome. Of course I want you but that's all I want. As much as I love looking at that hot body of yours, I won't cross the line with you. I don't have sex with little girls!"_

"_InuYasha!"_

"_No!"_

"_InuYasha! Please!"_

"_Stop it! You foolish, wanton little girl! You and me ain't ever gonna happen. You know that. I've had this conversation with you before. Why must you keep blatantly pursuing me?"_

_Kagome's lower lip trembled as a single tear cascaded down her face. It was true. She'd made advances toward him before and he'd always turned her down._

"_InuYasha! I love you!"_

"_So what! Do you think I care that you love me. I don't! I don't love you! I will never love you. You'll never mean anything to me!"_

_Kagome pressed her lips together as tears began to pour from her eyes._

"_InuYasha!" She uttered his name one final time before trying to reach for him and then he really snapped._

_He didn't want to hurt her, but mild rejection as well as cruelty didn't seem to work on her. In fact nothing seemed to work on her. He yanked her away from the door and opened it. _

"_Why can't you accept no for answer? I don't want to take your job from you because my son loves you to pieces but I won't have you throwing yourself at me again either. We can't have a relationship. You'd be sex and nothing more."_

_Kagome nodded, finally accepting his rejection._

_InuYasha stared at the poor girl. Her lips trembling and her eyes as red as the blood that flowed through his veins. He felt like garbage, taking his anger out on the young girl. It wasn't her fault that he wanted her as bad as she did him. Instead of him being honest about his feelings like she did, he lied to her and she wasn't the adult in the situation._

"_Kagome, I'm sorry."_

"_I'm sorry too!" She said before throwing herself against him, ignoring his stiffening form. She hugged him briefly and then released him._

_InuYasha ruffled her hair like he so often did to his son and then stepped away from her._

"_I'm really sorry InuYasha."_

"_I know. It's okay. Don't worry about it anymore."_

"_Could you give munchkin, I mean Kenshin, a hug for me?"_

_InuYasha nodded._

"_I'll bring your house keys back tomorrow afternoon."_

_InuYasha eyed her strangely. "What for?"_

"_I can't work here anymore." She whispered before bolting from his bedroom._

"_What? Wait! You don't have to quit!" InuYasha yelled after Kagome. _

_She ran away from him, passing Sango feeding Kenshin at the dinner table._

_Sango stared at her as she ran out of the dining room to the front door._

"_Aunt Kagome?" Kenshin said behind her retreating form._

_Kagome clutched a hand to her chest and trembled as she continued to run away from InuYasha. She was gonna miss little Kenshin._

"_Kagome!" InuYasha yelled behind her._

_Sango frowned and stepped before him, grabbing onto his arm. "What did you do to her?"_

_InuYasha yanked his arm from her grasp and followed Kagome outside. He saw her standing next to Koga. They were beside his red pick-up truck._

"_Can you give me a ride home?" She managed to ask him in between sobs._

_Koga looked at her strangely before briefly flashing his eyes at InuYasha._

"_Kagome wait!" InuYasha yelled to halt her._

"_Koga! Please! Please take me home!"_

_He nodded before opening the door to let her into the truck. He followed shortly after. _

"_Koga! Kagome! Wait up!" __InuYasha showed up on the passenger side of the truck where she sat. _"_Kagome!"_

_She flinched and broke down all over again. _

_Koga waved a hand for him to back off as he pulled Kagome closer to him. She laid her head in his lap._

"_I'll take care of everything." He mouthed to InuYasha._

_InuYasha nodded curtly and turned to walk away. He hated the way things turned out and it didn't help that Kagome's sobs tore at his heart more than he cared to acknowledge. Was it possible that she actually did love him as much as she told him she did?_

* * *

Kagome sat quietly cutting a small portion of her rib-eye steak with her knife. Then she grabbed her fork that lay next to her plate and jabbed the piece of meat with it. She stuffed it into her mouth and chewed it ravenously, a moan nearly escaping her throat.

She was absolutely gaga about steak.

She noticed Kara and her sister Kagome, whom was named after her staring at her as she ate her food. Every time she took a bite and moaned in delight, the two girls would laugh at her. When they weren't laughing at her, they were mimicking her actions.

Kagome laughed herself at her two nieces as her gaze shifted around the dinner table and came to rest upon Kenshin. He sat near his father, occasionally glancing at him and her. She wasn't for sure how much knowledge he had in the relationship department, but it was safe to assume that he knew there something going on between his father and her.

Kenshin was nearly seven years older than his twin sisters. He was going to be 13 this year. While his sisters may have been oblivious to the tension between the two adults, via their age, he wasn't. He saw the blatantly hot stares that his father gave his aunt, and the curious ones she'd send back his way. In fact, he always had the uncanny knack for catching the two alone together. With his sharp inuyoukai instincts and his keen sense of smell, he knew that whatever feelings and thoughts they had for each other were far from juvenile.

He honestly didn't know why they tried to hide their feelings for each other. He loved Kagome, always had. Not that he didn't love his stepmother Kikyo, in his own way, but Kagome was in his heart in a way that Kikyo never had been. It was his aunt Kagome that always seemed to know how to calm the savage beast that raged within him.

InuYasha shifted his gaze around the dinner table, watching his family as they all sat in the dining room eating. His daughters played and picked over their food, and seemed to be more interested in their aunt than the food on their plates. Kenshin, who had an appetite much like his own father, sat quietly while occasionally gazing at him and his aunt. It was kind of annoying, but it wasn't his fault.

His son wasn't a little boy anymore. He knew sooner or later he was gonna have to have that darn father-son talk he'd been dreading since Kenshin entered Junior High. Kami knows he'd waited long enough and as much as he dreaded talking to him about sex, he knew that he had too. He didn't want him to turn out like he did, who'd gotten his lessons in life from his big sister Sango, who was older than him by five years.

The sound of chairs being pushed to the table and the clatter of plates jarred his thoughts. He watched as his twin daughters skipped away from the dinner table and headed for their bedrooms. They both were worn out from today's activities. Kagome walked away from the table with her and her niece's dinner plates. She took them into the kitchen and then came back to collect his plate and Kenshin's.

"Do you need any help, Aunt Kagome?" Kenshin asked before giving her his plate.

"No I don't, but thanks for the offer honey."

"Well, if anyone needs me I'll be in my room."

Kagome eyed him curiously. "Are you playing with the _Wii_ tonight?"

Kenshin nodded enthusiastically.

"Quick as I'm done in the kitchen, I'm coming up to join you."

Kenshin smiled at Kagome before jetting off to his room.

"Are you done eating InuYasha?" Kagome asked quietly, refusing to look at him.

He stared at her, watching her eyes scan the dining room, looking everywhere except at his face. This was how it had been for the past three days. Ever since the incident between them under the tree, she'd been avoiding him like he was a toxic disease.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt if you'd at least acknowledge my presence."

Kagome flinched in response. "If you're done eating, I'll take your plate into the kitchen."

"I'll take it myself." He muttered.

"Suit yourself." Kagome muttered before going into the kitchen.

InuYasha followed behind her.

Kagome scraped the remains of food from the dinner plates into the garbage and then loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. Then she packed the leftover food from the cooking pots into storage containers, carefully placing them inside the refrigerator and freezer.

She washed her hands and dried them before grabbing the homemade icing she'd made earlier today. Her spice cake had cooled enough and now it was time for her to ice it.

InuYasha stomped into the kitchen and dumped his dirty dishes into the dishwasher before settling his gaze onto Kagome. Her back was to him and she was pouring icing onto the cake she'd pulled out of the oven before they ate dinner.

She must've heard him behind her, because she shifted closer to the counter. His anger flared at her. He was getting tired of her ignoring him and flinching as if he'd attack her once they were alone. She had no idea how much her rejection of him irritated him.

"Do you need anything?" She asked so softly that he barely heard her and his ears could hear everything.

"If I did I certainly wouldn't ask you for it."

Kagome shrugged her shoulders in response. It didn't matter to her either way.

InuYasha huffed and groaned behind her.

Kagome continued to ignore him.

"How much longer are you gonna continue to act like this?"

Kagome pretended like she didn't hear him and continued icing her spice cake, smoothing it along every side.

"Kagome?"

"InuYasha?"

"Would you talk to me?"

"I am talking to you."

"Could you at least look at me when you're talking to me?"

"I would but I'm icing my cake."

InuYasha moved from his position and inched his way closer to her.

Kagome shifted uncomfortably as he neared her, despite the fact that she couldn't get any closer to the counter. Her belly was already tightly pressed against it.

"Kagome?" He muttered her name in annoyance.

"Yes."

"Would you stop answering me in one word sentences!"

"Sure. Just let me know what you want."

"Can I talk to you? Please?"

"I am talking to you."

InuYasha growled and slammed his hand against the wall.

Kagome jumped but still refused to turn towards him.

"Would you stop it with this childish game of yours? I'm trying to be an adult and have a civilized conversation with you but you're blatantly ignoring me."

"I hardly call destroying the kitchen walls civilized."

"Well what do you expect me to do? Throwing things and yelling seem to be the only way to get your attention."

"You don't have to do any of those things. I heard you walk into the kitchen minutes ago."

"And yet you refuse to acknowledge my presence?"

"I was icing my cake."

"Stop it! Just stop it! This isn't about that stupid cake of yours and you know it."

Kagome laid the knife she used to ice her cake aside and turned towards Inuyasha, but still refused to let her gaze shift to his face. She could feel his anger nearing its boiling point.

"Okay InuYasha, what is it that you want to talk to me about?"

"Keh. As if you don't already know."

"If you don't have anything to say to me then I'll just take off."

Kagome moved away from the counter and as close to the wall as she could get.

InuYasha sighed in irritation before reaching out to grab her.

"Don't touch me!"

InuYasha ignored her and moved closer, thwarting her attempts to exit the kitchen.

"Don't touch me!"

He smirked before grabbing her wrist roughly and pulling her towards him.

"Let me go!" She said, struggling to get away from him.

"No!"

"Let me go InuYasha!"

"Not until you and I have a talk."

"I don't want to talk to you! Don't you get that?"

"No I don't and neither do I care."

Let me go! I mean it! I'm tired of you grabbing me and tossing me around like I'm not even a person."

InuYasha loosened his grip on her but refused to release her.

"Do you have any idea what personal space is?"

"Do you have any idea how bad it feels when you reject me?"

"I'm not rejecting you. I just don't want to be around you."

"And you don't see that as rejection?"

"That's not rejection, its avoidance. I don't want to be around you because you don't respect anything I have to say."

"I do respect you!"

"You do not! You're always grabbing at me despite the fact that I hate when you do it. I'm not your property InuYasha or an animal, waiting at your beck and call until you decide what you want to do with me."

"It's not like that Kagome. That's not how I see you."

"Then why don't you explain it to me InuYasha! I've done nothing to deserve this kind of treatment from you."

"I don't mean to disrespect you Kagome, honestly. It's just that I can't stand the tension between us."

"Well you put it there. I wanted to talk to you nearly two weeks ago when I first arrived in Furigana. You blew me off and told me to mind my own business. Then you basically threw yourself on me when we were in the back yard a couple of days ago."

InuYasha huffed and looked down at the floor as she hurled accusations at him.

"You made me feel uncomfortable InuYasha."

"You certainly didn't seem uncomfortable to me."

"It doesn't matter if I liked what you were doing or not. I asked you to release me and you wouldn't. I don't know. Maybe you get off on that sort of thing but I don't."

"I can take my time for you, Kagome."

Kagome whined and pushed against him. "This isn't about sex you idiot! It's about boundaries and talking things out like rational adults."

"So, now you want to talk after giving me the silent treatment for the past three days."

"Only because I didn't know what to say to you. Kikyo was my sister and your wife. Don't you feel just a little bit guilty for wanting to sleep with me?"

"No! I don't feel guilty."

Kagome gasped and forced herself to glance at InuYasha.

"Well it's not like you never knew. I wanted you long before I knew your sister existed."

"You're disgusting."

"Am I? Am I really? Because your sister was just as disgusting as I am."

"Don't you dare talk about my sister like that!"

"I will say whatever I want to about my wife! She might've been a good mother, but she was far from perfect."

"So what if she wasn't perfect, neither are you!"

"No, but at least I would've had the decency to cover my tracks if I was gonna have an affair."

Kagome's face fell as she realized immediately that she wasn't going to like InuYasha's next words.

"I may be obsessive, tainted and as imperfect as any other creature but at least I never brought my secrets out in the open for my children to see."

Kagome shook her head and stared at InuYasha.

"Your sister cheated on me repeatedly with that ex of hers. She said it wasn't her fault she couldn't get him out of her system."

Kagome shook her head refusing to believe anything InuYasha said to her.

"Yes she did! She cheated all the time and she didn't care if I knew." InuYasha finally released Kagome. "And the sick thing about it is, I didn't care either. I wasn't in love with her. She wasn't in love with me. We were two brazen individuals who got drunk one night and made a stupid decision that permanently linked our lives together. Kikyo and I never should've gotten together. We were a mistake, a mistake that never should've happened."

"Then why did you marry her?"

"Because I thought it was the right thing to do. I really did, but marrying your sister was the biggest mistake of my life. I wish I would've done things differently back then."

"Don't say that."

"It's the truth Kagome."

"I don't care. I don't want to hear it."

"I wanted you Kagome. It was always you, but I knew I couldn't have you."

Kagome eyes glittered as she turned away from InuYasha. She folded her arms across her chest. He was really tugging on her heartstrings tonight and she wasn't sure how much more she could handle right now.

"You could've had me InuYasha." Kagome spoke so quietly that he almost didn't hear her.

"I couldn't. You were too young back then."

"Then you should've waited, but no. You had to go knock my sister up! Do you have any idea how much that hurt? How much it still hurts when I allow myself to think about it?"

"I'm sorry!"

"I don't care! You chose not to be with me InuYasha even though you knew you wanted to. There's no point in even talking about this."

"The only thing I can say is that I'm sorry Kagome. I never meant to hurt you but I felt horrible for feeling the way I did about you."

"Why? Was loving me disgusting?"

"You know better! And it wasn't even about love then. Not that I don't believe you'd be a great person to love, but I wasn't in love with you. My actions were far from innocent, as they are now."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Kagome said as she forced herself to face him.

"I don't know." He replied grumpily.

Kagome scoffed before glaring at him. "So, why did you guys stay together? Was is for the children or was it just about the sex?"

InuYasha shifted his body uncomfortably and glared at Kagome.

She smirked at him cockily. "Oh yeah sweetheart, I heard. I know all about your dynamic performances in the bedroom. No wonder Kikyo couldn't easily walk away from you." Kagome let her gaze shift from InuYasha's face to his waist and then lower. She winked at him smugly. "I heard it's just as big as your ego. I bet Kikyo could hardly stand after one round."

"Are you jealous?"

"What?"

"You heard me. You're just jealous because it wasn't you!"

"Ooohh super sexy InuYasha. Nobody can resist that hot sexy body." Kagome joked before daringly running her eyes up and down his body again. "How many inches have you got there? 13? 14?" Kagome smiled hotly.

He wasn't intimidated. "Do you even hear yourself talking?" InuYasha replied to her, his patience wearing thin.

"I'm well aware of what I'm saying."

"Really? When did you become so bawdy?"

"I don't know. Maybe when you were knocking my sister up."

"Would you shut up about that! It happened years ago and it doesn't have to have any bearing on the present."

"You'd love it if I just forgot it."

"I don't care if you forget about it or not but you are gonna stop throwing it in my face. Got that!"

Kagome was flabbergasted. Certainly, he wasn't trying to threaten her. She put her hands on her hips and moved closer to him before sending him her fiercest glare.

"What?" He answered smugly.

"You get this! I will talk about what ever I want to. You're not the boss of me. You don't run me. You don't own me and you certainly don't tell me what to do."

InuYasha yawned as if her words didn't matter to him. "Are you finished?"

"No! This thing between us ain't ever gonna happen."

"What?"

"You heard me. Too much has been said and too many people are involved. I'd be crazy to enter into any type of relationship with you."

"Even though you want to?"

"Actually I don't."

"Yeah whatever. You never could resist me. You still can't."

"I'm not that same lovesick, silly little girl who used to look at you as if you hung the moon. I don't want you like that. Maybe I used to but that was a long time ago."

InuYasha stared at her for a long time. His sister in law could talk big but he saw straight through her. She still wanted him. The mere fact that she stood before him trying to convince him that her feelings toward him were dead was absolutely hilarious. His mouth turned up into a smug grin and he laughed in her face. He laughed and laughed until it felt like he'd burst wide open from the very act.

"Sure Honey! Are you trying to convince me or yourself? Have you forgotten what almost happened between us three nights ago? You still want me because you never stopped wanting me and there's nothing you can do or say to change that. I could have you on your back with your legs spread wide in ten minutes flat. You're still lovesick and you're still silly. And if I wanted to, I bet I could still hang that moon up for you."

Kagome grew quiet for a long moment assessing everything he said to her. A distraught sigh moved passed her lips as her heart shattered into a million pieces. _How could she love and hate someone so much at the same time?_ She put up a big façade for him but he saw right though it and her bravado crumbled. She shifted uncomfortably before him, her emotions threatening to break free and spill down her cheeks. She moved her hands from her hips and folded them across her chest, because she knew they had to be shaking by now.

InuYasha's smug smile suddenly dissipated. He smelt the saline in her eyes and although she wasn't crying, he knew it'd be a matter of time before she did. His words stung her to the core and she couldn't shake away the hurt. He felt horrible, absolutely horrible. Things were already bad between them and he'd just made them even worse.

"You are the most heartless, pompous, egotistical, jackass I've ever had the displeasure of knowing."

"Kagome." InuYasha whined.

"I'm not finished! Do you like making me feel like dirt?"

"No, I don't."

"I can't tell! You seem to be really good at it!"

"It's not like that Kagome."

"Yes it is! You drive everybody who cares about you away! No wonder you don't have any friends. You don't deserve any!"

InuYasha stared at Kagome as the tears she'd tried so hard to hold in finally pushed through her chocolate brown eyes and now cascaded down her face.

"You must have had a really crummy child hood."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"No InuYasha! I think I do!"

"Keh."

"Poor little InuYasha. You never did fit in anywhere. Half demon, half human, all bastard."

InuYasha stared at Kagome in wonder. He didn't like being scrutinized but after everything he said to her, he knew he wouldn't escape her wrath unharmed.

"You looked for love in all the wrong places and always came up empty. Nobody wanted to love you. So you built walls around your heart. That way nobody could ever hurt you again."

"Got me all figured out, do you?" InuYasha growled and clenched his fists in anger.

"Yes I do! I know you! I know your kind! You're not the only person who's had a rough life InuYasha but you can't see past your anger."

"You don't know me Kagome. You don't know anything about me!"

"That's where you're wrong sweetheart. I know all I need to know. You're nothing more than a broken-hearted little child trapped in the body of a 30 year old man. You're so pissed off at the world because you grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Your sister was accepted but you never were. Nobody wanted to be friends with a little half demon."

InuYasha squared his shoulders as his anger flared up in his face. His sister in law was treading on very dangerous ground now. The things she said hit too close to home.

Kagome moved her body closer to him until her knees touched his thighs. Then she poked a finger in his chest.

"There's nothing there, just a big empty hole, a void that's never been filled in your entire existence. There's no love in your life because you don't know how to love. There's a big, ugly stone where your heart is supposed to be. It's rough and it's crude and it's so messed up that it rejects the love that others give to you so freely."

InuYasha grabbed Kagome's hand and pushed her away from him. His demon blood was boiling inside of him and if he wasn't careful, things could quickly go beyond his control.

"No wonder your relationship didn't last with Kenshin's mother. You're immuned to all forms of love."

Kagome sighed before running a hand through her hair. Her emotions were clearly written across her face. She knew what she said tore at InuYasha's heart but she would not relent. Some things just needed to be said.

"You have a beautiful body InuYasha. You're gorgeous. Any girl would want you but she'd just be setting herself up for failure if she pursued you. That beautiful body of yours is all warm on the outside but cold as ice on the inside. I don't know what Kenshin's mom felt for you but it couldn't have been love. It had to be pity. The only thing you had to offer was your body."

InuYasha's eyes flickered with a multitude of emotions and his body shook with rage and yet Kagome continued in her assessment of him. He moved away from her. He had to or she'd never see the light of day again.

"And since your body is all you had to offer your son's mother that's all she could've possibly taken from you. You're all about sex. You equate sex with love. In fact, you don't know the difference between the two. The only reason why you enjoy it so much is because it gives you and emotional connection, an attachment to another human being but that isn't what love truly is. It's more than a physical feeling. It's more than a passing moment in the arms of a stranger. Real love is a profoundly tender and passionate affection. It's a beautiful and incredible and although it hurts sometimes, it's strong enough to endure indifference. That's what real love is all abou InuYasha. I hope one day you get experience it."

Kagome stared at InuYasha for a long time after her emotional speech. He was standing near the kitchen sink, peering out of the window just above it. She had no idea when he moved to stand there but she knew that her words deeply penetrated him in a way no bullet or sword ever could.

InuYasha finally worked up enough courage to face Kagome and when he did he wanted to get as far away as he could from her, but his body wanted to remain in its current position.

With her gaze still on InuYasha, she saw everything. She saw the raw, naked and conflicted emotions clearly painted onto his face. He was vulnerable and way more mentally shaken than he'd ever care to admit. Not only was his ego wounded, some of his hidden secrets were also brought to the surface; some he'd worked hard to keep away from the rest of the world.

"The truth hurts. Doesn't it?"

InuYasha looked away from her again and back towards the window. The way his emotions were raging he didn't trust his voice right now. The powerful flow of his demonic blood continued burning deep inside of him, begging like crazy to be released and set free.

Kagome walked out of the kitchen and away from InuYasha and headed to the room he'd given her. Without a second thought she made a call. It was time for her to leave.

She closed her phone and grabbed her two suitcases. They were thrown onto the bed and whatever article of clothing she could get her hands on was tossed into them. There were more of her clothes in the drawers but she didn't care. She'd packed enough.

She stared quietly at the suitcases before her eyes scanned the room and she felt her heart break just a little bit more. She didn't want to leave. It would hurt the children, but she'd didn't want to hurt their father either. They both had hurt each other tonight. After the fiasco that just transpired between them there was no way she could stay in his home another minute.

She let her gaze flicker over to the window. There was a car light flashing outside. Without a second thought, she grabbed the suitcases from the bed and pushed her way through her temporary bedroom. She moved as quickly and quietly as she could.

All the lights were off and she saw no sign of InuYasha. Everyone was asleep. She shuffled her small feet quickly as she made her way to the front door. She heard the floor squeak and knew immediately that someone was behind her.

She clutched her suitcases tightly and made a mad dash out of the door that led to outside. She ran to her best friend's car and snatched the back door open. The small suitcases were thrown into the car before her small form was stuffed in alongside them.

"Aunt Kagome!"

She froze upon hearing her nephew's voice.

"Don't go!"

Tears immediately spilled down her face as she turned to face him.

"Don't go!" Kenshin said again from the doorway of his home.

"Give me a minute Ayame." Kagome whispered to her best friend.

"Of course." Ayame replied.

Kagome stepped out of the car as Kenshin raced to meet her. He threw his arms around her back, crushing her against his lean chest.

"Don't leave! Please."

"I can't stay here anymore Kenshin!" Kagome mumbled in between tears.

"No! Please. I don't want you to go."

"I know. I don't want to go baby but your father and I can't seem to get along."

"But I thought you guys liked each other."

"I thought we did too but I was wrong. We've done nothing but fight since I've been here and I don't want you and your sisters to get caught in the middle of our arguments. I don't want to see you guys hurt."

"Then don't leave! Please! I love you! I thought you loved me back."

Kagome shuddered as her throat became incredibly tight. She could barely breathe, let alone speak.

"I…..do…..love you…..Kenshin. I've always…..loved you….mun…..ch….kin."

"Then don't leave me. Please! Please Aunt Kagome."

Kagome trembled and shuddered against Kenshin as wet, hot tears poured from her eyes. She could feel Kenshin shaking as he fought hard to hold on to her, afraid that if he let go, she'd slip through his hands. She didn't want to break his heart but living with InuYasha was suicidal and she knew it.

As much as she wanted to be there for her sister's children, she knew she had to find another way other than her current one. If she stayed here she and InuYasha would only argue and fight each other and that would only make matters worse for his children. They'd already lost their mother. They didn't need to deal with anymore heartache.

The sound of the door slamming jarred Kagome away from her thoughts and she looked up from behind Kenshin to come face to face with his father. He was wearing a pair of checkered white and green pajamas, no shirt and his feet were bare. She could tell from the rigid set of his jaw he wasn't in a good mood and things were about to get even uglier between them fast.

"What are you doing out here?" InuYasha spat at his son.

"I wanted to see Aunt Kagome."

"Well, now that you've seen her get in the house and get to bed."

"Dad!"

"Don't dad me! Get in the house now!"

Kenshin cringed and squeezed Kagome.

"You don't have to yell at him InuYasha!"

"When I want your opinion regarding my children, I'll ask for it. Until then, stay out of my business, nosey wench."

"Kenshin is my business!"

"No he's not! He's nothing to you."

"Dad! Don't yell at Aunt Kagome." Kenshin whined.

"That woman is not your aunt and I don't ever want to hear you call her that again!" InuYasha seethed.

"Dad! Don't say that!"

"It's the truth. This woman has no blood ties to you. She's nothing but your former babysitter, nothing more. She doesn't love you, just like her sister didn't love you."

"Bastard!"

"Call me whatever you want to call me. It's the truth and you know it."

"I don't care what you think of my sister but you will not put us into the same category. I wasn't around to see how she treated Kenshin but don't dare tell him that my feelings for him aren't real. I love this boy! I've always loved him as if he were my own."

Kenshin trembled against Kagome as a single tear slipped past his left eye. She had no idea how much he longed to hear her utter those words.

"Well he's not yours! He's mine and I won't be sharing him with the likes of you!"

InuYasha moved closer to Kagome and his son and then tugged at his son's arm.

"No dad! I don't want to leave her!"

"Let her go now! I mean it Kenshin! You don't want to try me, especially tonight!"

Kagome rubbed Kenshin's back and tried to calm him down. "It's okay honey. I'll be okay." She cooed to him softly.

Kenshin finally released her and hesitantly walked away and stood behind his father.

"I love you Aunt Kagome."

"I love you too munchkin."

"Stop it!" InuYasha roared before glaring at Kagome like he wanted to rip her apart.

"What?"

"Stop telling my son you love him!"

"Well he has to hear it from somebody. Kami knows you don't know how to say the word."

InuYasha growled and moved closer to Kagome.

"Don't hurt her dad! Please!"

"Keh. I wasn't gonna hurt her. I just intend to make sure she knows that she's no longer welcome here."

"What? What are you saying dad?"

"I don't want you here anymore Kagome! You're not welcome here anymore. I don't want you anywhere near my house and I don't want you anywhere near my children."

"You can't keep me away from them!"

"I can and I will! If I ever see hide or hair of you anywhere on my property, I'll have your arrested."

"Dad! Please! You don't have to do that!"

"You are not gonna keep me away from them!"

InuYasha smirked. "As of today, you are no longer a part of my children's lives. Get off my property and stay away from my house. You'll never be a part of my children's lives, ever again!"

"I hate you!" Kagome screamed before raising her fist.

"If you're not off my property in the next five minutes, I'm calling the police."

Kagome stood there shaking and trembling. She was so choked up with emotion that she thought she was gonna faint.

Kenshin was reaching for her but his father held him back.

Kagome felt someone tugging on her arm and realized immediately that Ayame had stepped out of her car.

"Kagome honey, we need to go."

Kagome nodded and allowed Ayame to take her back down to the car. She took her former position in the back seat and closed the door. Ayame's engine roared to life and she pulled away from InuYasha's house.

"Aunt Kagome!"

She stiffened in her seat and looked out of the back window. InuYasha had released Kenshin and he was blindly chasing after Ayame's car.

Kagome waved goodbye to him as Ayame car picked up speed and drove away, while Kenshin's tortured cry pierced the dark of night.

* * *

**Hello People! Yay! I got a chance to update. It's so hard keeping this story rated T. I'm always tempted to go overboard...LOL. Yes, I know InuYasha and Kagome were off the chain in this chapter and they said some pretty ugly things to each other. I have to set up things like that, but don't worry. I have my reasons and you know I won't keep them mad at each other forever. There's still a lot in their past that I have to explain and I will be doing just that in the upcoming chapters. I want to give a big thanks to my faithful readers and their reviews, because I appreciate their interest in this story. Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you liked or disliked. I love you guys!**

**HUGS*KISSES**

**ASIAN DELICACY**


	6. Chapter 6 When I See You Smile Again

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.**

**Chapter hasn't been proofread. **

**NOTE: Please remember that all italicized paragraphs at the beginning of the chapters refer to past events. That's how most chapters in my story will begin.**

_**CHAPTER 6: TELL ME WHEN WILL I SEE YOU SMILE AGAIN**_

* * *

_It was late in the afternoon. The sun was shining down on all the inhabitants of Daigon County. The clouds were fluffy and white and the skies were clear and free from rain. It was an absolutely beautiful day. The abundance Life was thriving at full force._

_Everything seemed too peaceful. Well, except for Kagome Mei'Lin Higurashi. She was kneeling down in front of her home planting flowers in her mother's garden. _

_It had been nearly two and half weeks since she walked, no ran away from her job as Kenshin Ishikawa's baby-sitter. After she threw herself at Inuyasha and made a fool of herself, there was no way she could face him again._

_Not only did she humiliate herself, but she also embarrassed him and put him in an uncomfortable situation. It wasn't like he'd never told her that they couldn't have a relationship, because he had, but she constantly and openly flirted with him all the time._

_When she kissed him, he hadn't been the least bit discouraging. He did kiss her back, which he shouldn't have done, because it only gave her false hope, and she certainly didn't need any of that. Every kiss, touch and caress she'd given was accepted and given right back with equal fervor._

_She sighed and wiped sweat from her brow before looking skyward. Why did she always have to screw up everything? She never meant for things to happen the way they did. How could loving somebody as much as she loved Inuyasha hurt so much? Everything fell apart way too soon. _

_She brought her gaze down and stared at the blue-jean shorts that she wore. They were very short. She smiled briefly before tugging on the end of her sleeveless peach belly shirt. No wonder she always got unwanted stares. She showed too much skin, but it wasn't to get attention._

_It was really hot in Daigon County at this time of the year. Half the time guys stared at her she was oblivious to it. In many ways she was innocent of her appeal to the opposite sex. She may've had the body of an adult but she was a whole lot greener than most believed. She gave new meaning to the word naïve. _

_The sound of squeaking bikes brought Kagome from her thoughts and she looked to the left of her just in time to see her younger brothers riding their bikes in her direction. She smiled as they emerged from their bikes, letting them fall to the ground._

"_Hey guys. Getting into any mischief today?" She joked._

_12 year Sota rolled his eyes at his sister before tapping their adopted brother, 11 year old Shippo on the shoulder. They smirked at each other before whispering something that their sister couldn't hear._

"_What are you two whispering about?"_

"_Wouldn't you like to know?" Shippo announced with a wide grin._

_Kagome rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever! I don't have time to joke with you imbeciles."_

_Shippo smirked at Sota and then whispered something else to him. _

_Kagome ignored them and bent down to finish working in their mother's garden. She heard her brothers snickering and thought about saying something to them, but all her thoughts fell short when she felt a tug on her ponytail. She reached behind herself to see which one of brother's was trying to rip her hair from her skull and ended up losing her footing. She tumbled to the ground with one her brother's beneath her. _

_When she heard him wail, she knew it was Sota that had been grabbing her hair. She groaned loudly and before she had a chance to get up Shippo launched himself against her body. He pressed his mouth against her belly and began blowing raspberries against it. Then Sota brought his hand to her side and began tickling her._

_Before she could get angry, she broke out into a wide grin and then laughed and laughed until it fell like she'd burst from the sheer joy of it. She hadn't felt this giddy since she and Ayame played a joke on their biology instructor three years ago._

_Shippo lifted his face from her belly and stared down at her face. There was a crooked grin on her lips and tears were spilling from her eyes. There was a look of utter contentment on her face. He knew immediately that the tears she shed weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of joy and mirth and he for one was ecstatic to see them. _

"_Did we get her?" Sota mumbled to his younger brother from beneath Kagome._

_Shippo nodded happily._

_Kagome frowned and lifted up as Shippo moved away from her body. Within a few seconds all three of them stood and stared at each other._

"_Why did you guys do that?" Kagome asked, her laughter finally subsiding._

"_Because you needed it." Sota replied._

"_I needed it? What makes you say that?" _

"_Because you did need it Kagome." Her youngest brother replied before moving closer to her. I don't know what happened to you, but lately you've been depressed about something and I don't like it when you're like that."_

"_Shippo?" She whispered._

"_We don't like it when you're like that." Sota corrected him. "I don't know what happened with your job sis, but please don't ever get down in the dumps like you've been these past few weeks. Even if you don't have a job, you'll always have Shippo and me."_

_Shippo nodded. "And mom and dad and Kikyo. Don't forget about them." _

"_Is that why you guys tickled me?" Kagome asked, her voice barely above a whisper._

"_We just wanted to see you smile again sis. That's all. Just wanted to see you smile." Sota said before laying a hand on Kagome's shoulder._

_Kagome pressed her lips together as a single tear slid pass her left eye. She was so touched that she nearly broke down then and there and bawled like a baby. She pulled her younger brothers close to her and squeezed them tightly. Then she placed a kiss upon both of their foreheads._

"_I love you guys!"_

_They both pushed against her and wiped their heads._

"_Yuck sis! No need to get all sentimental." Sota said before walking back to his bike._

"_Keep your kisses to yourself." Shippo joined in._

_Kagome watched them hop back onto their bikes and ride away down the sidewalk. She watched them until their slim bodies pedaled away and was no longer in view. They might've been annoying but she had the sweetest brothers in the whole world, and they were right._

_Just because things went sour with Inuyasha, didn't mean she had to get down in the dumps. Heck, she wasn't a bad looking girl. She could easily get a boyfriend if she wanted one. Of course she was gonna have to get over Inuyasha first and that wasn't gonna be easily done._

_The slamming of a car door deterred her from her current situation and just like déjà vu, her gaze landed on a familiar pair of amber eyes. A startled gasp emerged from her lips. Why was he here? It was bad enough he invaded her thoughts constantly. Did he really have to show up now?_

_Inuyasha took a brief glimpse at his sleeping son, whom he held in his arms. Then he focused his gaze on Kagome before leaning against his red pick-up truck._

_Kagome stared at him before swallowing a lump in her throat. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. What was he doing here? And why was he staring at her like that? There was no way she could handle him looking at her the way he was right now._

"_Kagome?"_

_She blinked when she heard her name being spoken, but it wasn't Inuyasha that spoke it. It was Sango. She hadn't even realized Sango was with him. The only person she'd noticed was Inuyasha. She felt the stirrings of intense emotions gathering in her belly and immediately she made the rash decision to step away from them. _

_Sensing that she might've been attempting to run, Sango reached out and touched her arm._

"_I'm sorry." She whispered before looking away from Inuyasha._

"_No, no, no! Honey don't apologize." Sango said before gathering Kagome into her arms._

_Kagome trembled for a moment before staring at the ground. She felt her heart beating erratically. It was just maddening the way Inuyasha's presence affected her. _

"_You have nothing to be sorry for. Nobody's mad at you, not me nor Inuyasha."_

"_But I kissed him!"_

"_I know. He told me about it and he's really sorry for the way he handled things. He wants to apologize to you."_

"_He doesn't have to. It was my fault anyways."_

"_No Kagome! It was a misunderstanding and you're both sorry about it. So let's just forget about it. Okay?"_

_Kagome nodded quietly, her head pressed against Sango's chest. _

"_We liked having you around."_

_Kagome smiled and wiped at her eyes._

"_I know things got out of hand with you and my brother, but we can all get past that."_

_Kagome nodded._

"_Would you be willing to come back and take your job? I promise things will be much different." _

_Kagome gasped and leaned out of Sango's embrace. "You want me to be Kenshin's baby-sitter again?"_

_Sango nodded. "He misses you Kagome."_

"_Really?" She asked, slightly confused._

"_He's been asking about you every day since you left. It's been kind of hard to get him to sleep."_

"_Really?" She asked again._

_Sango smiled at Kagome's innocence. "Believe me Kagome, cranky, crying hanyou children are extremely difficult to get to sleep."_

_Kagome's eyes glittered with unshed tears. She had a feeling her abrupt departure from little Kenshin's life was going to be difficult for him to handle. She moved a few spaces away from Sango and forced her teary gaze towards Inuyasha and then to Kenshin. _

_His black, furry ears began to twitch and he wrinkled his nose. He rubbed his eyes and twisted about in his father's embrace. Then he opened his eyes and focused them on the one person he wanted to see more than anything in the whole world._

"_Aunt Kagome!" He screamed before jumping from his father's arms. He scurried his little body over to her and threw himself into her awaiting embrace. His tiny, clawed hands went around her neck and he buried his face into her shirt. _

_Kagome trembled and squeezed the little boy with all her might._

"_Why did you leave? Why did you leave me Aunt Kagome?"_

"_I'm sorry." She said, her voice overcome with emotion. _

"_I still love you. Please don't stop loving me!"_

_Kagome shuddered as her barely constrained tears came cascading down her face. This little boy was her heart. He had to know that. She loved him like he was her own child._

"_Please! Don't leave me again."_

"_I'll never leave you again Kenshin. Never. I love you and that'll never change."_

_Kenshin shuddered against Kagome's chest and tightened his hands around her neck._

"_I love you munchkin. Don't ever forget that."_

_Kenshin nodded his head as Kagome stroked his wild, black, tangly hair._

"_I love you munchkin. I'll always love you." _

_She squeezed him tightly to her chest. An emotional thank you was whispered to Sango and Inuyasha. After that day, she knew without a doubt that she was meant to be a part of this family._

* * *

Kagome grabbed her purse from the couch and pulled out her cell phone. She had another missed call from Sango. That made her sixth missed call from her this week. She tossed the phone back into her purse and released a shaky breath. She couldn't avoid Sango forever.

Kagome knew she was generally concerned about her well being, but she also knew that her calls had a lot to do with her brother Inuyasha, whom she had no desire to see any time soon. After that heated argument that they had eight days ago, she wasn't sure she could ever look at him again.

He yelled at her and she yelled at him and from there things just went from bad to worse, and the sad thing about it, was the fact that her nieces and nephews were right in the middle of their constant bickering.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch she currently sat upon. Although she said she hated Inuyasha that was farthest from the truth. In fact, one of the main reasons why she called him out about his feelings was because he saw so easily through her own and made fun of her for still crushing so hard on him.

_Who was she kidding? _

She wasn't crushing on Inuyasha. She hadn't had a crush on him for years. What she still felt for him was way more intense and serious than a _teen-age crush_, and she cursed herself every day for never getting over him.

It wasn't like she didn't try. She even moved far away from him to a different city, but nothing seemed to work. She came all the way to Furigana to test that theory and she failed miserably. Just one look into her psyche and a touch from his hand and those familiar stirrings of desire came slamming against her heart again and again and again.

She groaned in irritation and stamped her feet onto the floor. It just wasn't fair to feel that way about someone and know that they'll never have the capacity to love you back the same way. After all, Inuyasha wasn't capable of such love. The only thing he was capable of was breaking down waterbeds, and he certainly wasn't gonna break hers down, no matter how much she wanted him.

"Is everything okay Kagome?"

Her eyes flew open and rested upon Koga. He was wearing a pair of black jogging pants and a white tank top. He had his hair in his usual ponytail and he looked as though if he'd just got done working out.

"Kagome?"

"I'm fine Koga. I just have a lot on my mind."

"I know the feeling." He replied to her before sinking down onto the couch next to her.

"Where's Ayame? Surely it doesn't take this long to change a baby." Kagome giggled.

"She's asleep." Koga smirked.

"Asleep? I wanted to finish talking to her."

"You can talk to me Kagome."

"You're a guy." She pouted.

"So, last time I checked we were good friends. Besides, she finally got the baby to go to sleep and she was pretty tired herself."

"Poor Ayame."

"Yes poor Ayame." Koga reiterated Kagome's words. "I told her taking care of babies was a lot of work. I remember how difficult it was when your sister gave birth to the twins."

"Me too." Kagome said before looking away from Koga. "Ayame has her work cut out for her with little Amaya. With your genes and her genes, I can tell that little girl is gonna be a handful."

Koga shot Kagome a cocky smirk. "I can't wait to see what your kids will be like when you have them."

Kagome folded her arms across her chest as she began to feel a bit uncomfortable. Sure she wanted children, but because of her drawbacks regarding relationships, she sometimes wondered herself if she'd ever become a mother. Only time would tell.

"You do want kids, don't you Kagome?"

"I don't know. I suppose I'd like to have one or two in the future."

"I bet you'd make a great mom."

"You're just saying that because your wife's my best friend."

"No I'm not. I mean it Kagome."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Koga, but I've never been a mom. So, how great I may or may not be as a mother can't really be determined until I cross that bridge."

"Kagome you may not have physically mothered any children, but I know you'll make a great mom."

Kagome sighed in disbelief. "And what are you basing that answer off of Koga?"

"Your relationship with Kenshin. You have to know that he's always looked at you like a mother."

"Don't you mean aunt?"

"No! I mean mother. You mean a lot to him."

"Please don't make me out to be something special Koga."

"You know it's the truth Kagome. Kenshin's mother died after she gave birth to him. He never knew her. Besides Inuyasha's sister, there was no other female for him to connect with until fate brought you along nearly seven years later. Whether you want to believe it or not that boy loves you like a mother and I think you feel the same way about him."

"He did have my sister you know."

"Yes he did and I think in his own way, he loved her, but it wasn't the same way he loved you."

Kagome bristled in annoyance. "Please don't tell me that my sister didn't care about Kenshin. She wasn't a bad person."

Koga cleared his throat and looked directly into Kagome's eyes. "I wasn't gonna say she was a bad person."

"But you thought it. I saw the way your eyes changed when I mentioned her. My sister wasn't a bad person and she did love Kenshin. I don't know why you and Inuyasha are so dead set on her making her out to be such a horrible person."

"I don't think your sister was a horrible person Kagome, but if I did, wouldn't you at least want to know why I felt that way."

"No I wouldn't because you're Inuyasha's best friend. You'd believe anything he told you anyways."

"That's not fair Kagome."

"And bad-mouthing my sister is? It's bad enough Inuyasha is always making her out to be the biggest slut to have ever walked this earth. I don't need to know that one of my best friend's thinks she was a bad mother as well."

"I don't think your sister was a bad mother Kagome. From what I witnessed between her and her children, she was a phenomenal mother. However, there had to be a reason why Inuyasha believed she made a difference in the way she treated her children."

"He only believes that because of her alleged affair."

"It has nothing to do with that, and believe me it wasn't alleged. Now, I'm not saying your sister did make a difference between the children. Maybe she did it without realizing it, but that doesn't mean she didn't love her stepson. Because in the short time that I knew her, she did seem like a very loving person."

"But she was such a big whore that it's hard for you to believe that she gave a crap about anybody other than herself."

"Stop putting words into my mouth Kagome."

"Why should I? I'm sick of you and Inuyasha telling me what a liar and adulterer my sister was. You cheated on Kaguya when you were married to her, and I know Inuyasha cheated just as much as Kikyo supposedly did. You two really got me twisted with your self-righteous attitudes."

"Whoa! Hold on now! You need to know what you're talking about before you start judging. I can't say the same for Inuyasha, but I never cheated on Kaguya."

"Yeah you did. Ayame told me that you and her were having sex when your wife was still alive."

Koga groaned in irritation. "I did not cheat on Kaguya! I only told Ayame that because I was still in love with Kaguya when Ayame and I began messing around. I wasn't looking for anything serious then and neither was she. Neither one of us were really ready to start a new chapter in our lives."

Kagome stared at Koga belligerently.

"My wife had been dead for two years and I know it was crazy for me to pine after her for two years, but I couldn't help it. I'd never loved anyone as beautiful, crazy and maniacal as Kaguya. I thought we were going to be together forever. I'd never loved anyone like I loved her. I thought she was it for me, but then she got sick with that disease and that was it for us."

Kagome shifted closer to Koga and reached for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Koga flashed her a toothy grin. "I lied to Ayame. I told her my wife was still alive, and I guess in a sense she was, if you counted my heart, but physically she was gone."

"And your baby boy too."

Koga nodded quietly. "I think if he would've at least made it, then I wouldn't have clung to Kaguya's memory so much."

"Oh Koga! I can't begin to imagine how terrible you felt after losing both of them that way."

Koga sighed as his eyes shifted away to a far off distance. "Those were the darkest days of my life, but as I live and years continue to pass by, it hurts less and less."

"Time heals all wounds." Kagome murmured quietly.

Koga nodded before shifting his gaze to Kagome. "Thank Kami I found Ayame though. She'd just lost her fiancé. We'd both lost someone special to us. I guess that's why we clicked so well."

"You both got a second chance at love Koga. I know it hurt when you both lost your significant others, but I can't imagine a better pair than you two. My best girl friend and my best guy friend, going against all odds to find each other. I love you two to pieces."

"We love you too Kagome."

"Actually, I envy what you guys have."

"Why is that?"

"Because I can tell that you guys genuinely love each other, and no matter what obstacles stood before you, you found a way to be with each other."

Koga narrowed his eyes as he began to get an inkling that Kagome was no longer talking about he and Ayame. He was almost certain of it.

"Are you referring to her age?"

"What?"

"Are you saying that her age was an obstacle?"

"Was it?" Kagome asked, eager to hear his answer.

"Why would her age be an obstacle?"

Kagome hunched her shoulders as if she didn't know why she was asking him this question.

"Kagome, yes Ayame is younger than me, but we are both adults. The six years between us never mattered."

"To some people it does." Kagome mumbled.

"Do you mind running that by me again?"

"No. Forget I said it."

"Why?"

"Because it's not important." Kagome bristled.

"Apparently so or you wouldn't be getting worked up."

"I'm not getting worked up!"

Koga smirked and folded his arms at his chest. "Does this have anything to do with that big fight you had with Inuyasha?"

"Oh God!" Kagome groaned in frustration. "My life does not revolve around Inuyasha!"

"I never said it did _Lin_."

"Don't call me that!" Kagome yelled, intense emotions seizing her heart that she never knew she possessed.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you calling me that!"

"Inuyasha doesn't call you that anymore."

"Would you stop talking about him?" Kagome roared. She was really ticked. She hadn't been called that name in years, and just hearing it now left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Whoa Kagome! What's with the 180?"

"I'm tired of you talking about Inuyasha. I don't want to hear anything about him. I don't want to think about him. I don't want to hear his name."

Koga leaned closer to Kagome and gathered her into his arms.

"Get your hands off of me!"

"No. You're hurting."

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are."

"Let me go Koga!"

"No! You've got some emotions bottled up inside of you and they need to be released."

"I don't need anything but for you to leave me alone!"

"Kagome?"

"I mean it Koga! I don't need you to comfort me! I'm fine."

Koga shook his head, feeling the tension in his friend's shoulders.

Kagome pushed against him but he refused to release her.

"It's okay Kagome. I understand."

"No you don't! I wish you and your stupid best friend would just leave me alone!"

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do, especially about _him_. God! I hate _him_!"

"Don't say that Kagome."

"Why shouldn't I? It's the truth. Inuyasha is the rudest man I've ever had the displeasure of meeting and I curse the day he and I crossed paths."

Koga patted Kagome on her back much like he use to do when she was teenager.

She pushed against him, his body stiff as a board as he refused to release her.

"Let it go Kagome! It's okay."

"I don't have anything to let go of!" She nearly screamed, on the verge of tears.

"Yes you do! You're angry and you're hurt and extremely vulnerable."

She shook her head in disagreement as a single tear slid down her cheek.

"It's okay. Just let it go."

Kagome trembled in his arms as her defenses began to crumble.

"Let it go. You'll feel much better once you do."

She went still in his embrace as her will to fight slowly faded away and finally gave in to her conflicting emotions. Koga continued to pat her back before sliding her hair from her eyes.

"I miss _him_. I miss _him_ so much."

"I know you do."

"I miss that stupid smirk of his and I miss his cocky attitude. I even miss him flirting with me, but most of all, I think I miss that innocent smile people rarely get to see."

Kagome shuddered and surrendered to the broken and empty feeling overwhelming her and cried onto Koga's shoulder. She let it all out. She'd held her feelings for Inuyasha at bay for far too long and she just couldn't hold them in any longer. She'd battled with her inner turmoil day after day after day but right now, they were in dire need of release.

"You'll be okay, just wait and see. Everything will turn out fine."

"How so? I mean, I thought I was over him. I did everything in my power to forget about him, but the moment I set foot into his house, all those old unforgettable feelings came rushing back to me at full speed."

"That's not a bad thing Kagome."

"Yes it is! I'm in love with a stubborn man and one that's too proud to share his feelings with another person."

"You make it sound like he's an ogre." Koga joked.

"He may as well be one. He's practically a robot on the inside."

"Kagome, that's just plain cruel."

"He is! He doesn't know what love is. He doesn't even know what loves about." Kagome sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "He even made fun of me for feeling…..for still wanting him after all these years. God I feel so stupid!"

"You're not stupid Kagome."

"Yes I am! Because if I had any brains in my head I'd fall in love with someone who was capable of reciprocating my feelings."

"Then change him Kagome."

"Fat chance! In case you've forgotten there's an icebox where his heart used to be."

"So now he's _Omarion_?"

"You know what I mean Koga."

He smiled before replying to her. "Do you honestly believe him to be incapable of love?"

"He doesn't know how to love anybody Koga. You know that yourself."

"I don't know anything besides what you believe to be true about him."

"Then trust me he's incapable of loving another individual."

"What about his children? Can you say that you honestly believe he doesn't love them?"

Kagome leaned away from Koga's chest to peer into his face. That was a good question. _Could she honestly say that she didn't believe he loved his children?_ She pondered that thought for a moment. He seemed to care deeply about his children. He certainly was protective of them. Maybe he could love children, just not adults, or women for that matter.

"Do you honestly believe that he's so cold on the inside that he doesn't know how to love his own children?"

"That's different."

"How so?"

"Because it's easy to love a child Koga."

"Just not easy to love a woman?"

"That's not what I'm saying."

"Then what are you saying Kagome? Either he knows what love is or he doesn't."

"It's different with him."

"You already said that. I'm trying to help you figure out what so different about him. You said he's incapable of loving someone. I want to know what you think he feels for his kids."

"Children are different. They come into the world innocent and defenseless. We're obligated to take care of them."

"I see." Koga replied to her before scratching his head. "So, you're saying that what he feels toward his children is more of an obligation than real love."

"Koga!"

"I'm only repeating what you said to me."

"Well it sounds funny coming from your mouth."

"Well I wish it wouldn't because I'm honestly just trying to understand how your think Inuyasha loves people."

Kagome blew out her breath and pressed her lips together.

"Can I be honest with you Kagome?"

"Knock yourself out."

"I think you don't have a problem with the way Inuyasha feels about his children. I think you have a problem with the way he feels about you."

"What?"

"You're in love with him."

"Please don't remind me."

Koga smiled at her. "You've always been in love with him, and he's never reciprocated your feelings. Even though years have passed and there really isn't anything in the way of you two being together, nothing has really changed between the two of you."

"I can't argue with you there. He only wanted me for sex then and that's all he wants from me now." She mumbled.

"Kagome, I don't believe Inuyasha is only after sex from you."

"Yes he is and he's not subtle about letting me know, and it's not gonna happen. I'm not gonna let him use me. I don't care how I feel about him. I refuse to be his sex toy."

"Are you certain that's all he wants from you?"

"Yes! I'm not stupid Koga and I'm certainly not blind. I see those smoldering hot stares he casts my way. He just doesn't seem to know that I notice him doing it, but I do. Heck even Kenshin notices them."

Koga chuckled.

"It's not funny. If anything it's hurtful. I'll never be anything but an object of desire to him, and no matter how strongly I feel about him, that'll never be me. I can't be that for anybody."

"Oh Kagome. I'm sorry you feel that way."

She blinked her eyes as her tears threatened to resurface but she quickly brushed them away. She'd done enough crying for today, but just like life, her heart seemed to have a mine of its own. She closed her eyes trying to force away her uncontrollable emotions.

"I hate feeling like this. _Why does that man affect me the way he does?_ I don't want to feel this way about him."

"Why?"

"Because it's pointless. He doesn't want to have a relationship with me. He never did. He only wants to use me and because I refused him, he won't let me see his children. So, whatever I agree or disagree to I'm screwed either way."

Koga reached for Kagome's hand and her eyes fluttered open. She stared at him briefly before leaning her head down. He felt really bad for her. Her emotions, her feelings and her desires for his best friend were plainly written all over her face, just as raw and blatant as they'd been when she was a teen. For everyone else, time had passed, but not for Kagome, because if it had she wouldn't be as deeply affected as she was.

"Kagome?"

"_I just want to love him!_ Is that such a bad thing Koga?"

Koga leaned closer to Kagome and she threw her arms around him again and crushed herself in his embrace. He knew then that her emotional rampage was far from over.

"_I just want to love him._"

"Shh, it's okay Kagome." He whispered.

"_I just want to love him._"

"It'll be okay Kagome." Koga replied because he honestly didn't know how else to respond to her. He certainly wasn't gonna give her false hope.

"God help me! _I just want to love him._ I swear that's all I want. That's all I ever wanted."

Pressing her face beneath Koga's head, she rested her cheek against his chest. Her body shook as she sobbed quietly, angry at herself for still being weak to Inuyasha. There was nothing she could do about it though. She loved him and as much as she wished that it wasn't so it was. She knew eventually that her loving him would ultimately prove to be her downfall.

* * *

Sango pressed her back closer to the green park bench upon which she sat and stared down at her round abdomen. In just three more months she'd be giving birth to her second child. She didn't know the sex of the baby, because that didn't matter to her or Miroku. Whether a boy or a girl, they both considered it as a blessing and a miracle in itself.

She looked down at her watch. It was after six o' clock and definitely time for everyone to be getting home. Her son Miatsu had been bugging her to take him to the park for the past five days and she finally decided to give in to him. Inuyasha and his family was also at the park with them, but they both drove separate cars. Neither he nor Miroku wanted her moving about much or being alone. So they both decided that he and his children should come along with her to the park.

She smiled warmly. She had two of the greatest men in her life, four if you counted her son and her nephew. She brought her gaze to the left of her and watched as Miatsu and Kara pressed their small bodies up and down on the see-saw upon which they sat. Their boisterous laughter tickled her ears.

Little Kagome, whom everyone affectionately called Kay squealed in contentment as her older brother Kenshin pushed her higher and higher upon the swing in which she sat. They looked like a brightly colored Norman Rockwell painting being brought to life.

Sango blushed as her heart swelled with pride. She had such a beautiful family and it seemed everyday she just wanted to be around them all the time. That was probably the hormones currently raging out of control inside of her kicking into over-drive.

"Is that smile for me or are you missing the husband?"

Sango flashed the intruder of her thoughts a big smile before patted the empty space next to her on the bench. "I was wondering where you'd gone little brother."

"You and this whole little brother routine. I swear Sango. You act like you don't realize I'm a grown man."

Sango smirked and elbowed Inuyasha. "Well, you are my little brother."

"Only by five years, and we haven't been children for years."

"I know, but in my eyes you'll always be my little brother."

"Keh."

Sango giggled at his common retort. "So, where are you just coming from?"

"I had to drain the lizard."

"I'm not talking about that and do you have to call it a lizard?"

Inuyasha smirked at his sister. "Well, you asked."

"I was referring to after you came from the bathroom and please tell me you actually used one and didn't relieve yourself in the woods."

"No, I didn't relieve myself in the woods. I did by my car."

"Oh God! You're disgusting."

"What? I had to go really bad."

"Just tell what happened after you relieved yourself."

"_Numb-Nutts_ called me."

"Sesshomaru? He never calls you."

"Yeah I know."

"What did he want?"

"To tell me he heard about the fiasco that happened on _South Street_."

"So what. It's not his first time hearing about you getting into a fight."

"I know. He says I'm an unfit parent and I'm not gonna be satisfied until my children are taken away from me. Like that'll ever happen."

"I don't know Inu, maybe you shouldn't take your brother so lightly. He is a prominent _Demon_ in both demon and human communities. You might not want to get on his bad side."

"Please! _Numb-Nutts_ is all bark and no bite. I'm not afraid of his empty threats."

"I'm just saying Inuyasha. Sesshomaru is a pretty intimidating guy, financially and physically. Don't give him a reason to come after you."

"I'm not afraid of my brother Sango and I don't care who he has connections with I'm not gonna back down if he challenges me."

"Could you at least try to ignore him? You've got enough going on in your life as it is."

"I hope to _Kami_ you're not about to bring up the _Wicked Witch of the West_."

"Well it's not like you can actually tell me you've forgotten about her."

"Farthest thing from my mind."

"Who are you fooling?"

"_Neesan_ I've got 99 problems but Higurashi ain't one of them."

"Yeah right."

"She ain't!"

"Inuyasha! This is me you're talking to. I know everything about you."

"So what! That doesn't mean you know what's going on inside of my head and weren't we talking about Sesshomaru anyways?"

"Not anymore. Kagome's more important."

"I don't want to talk about her."

"Why not?"

"Because she's off limits when it comes to you."

"Why me?"

"Because you're always trying to be her defender and you're always taking up for her."

"That's because most of the time when you two argue it's your fault."

"It is not always my fault. Sometimes it's hers."

"_Otouto_, from the moment Kagome got into town you two were at each other's throats."

"That's not my fault. As soon as the _Wicked Witch of the West_ blew into town she jumped on my back. I told her back down and she refused to. So I'm not blame for everything that has happened between us."

"You certainly haven't made it easier."

"And she has? The girl's no angel. What the heck Sango? Does she have everyone fooled?"

"I'm not being fooled Inuyasha. If anybody's being fooled it's Kagome. She wants something from you that she ain't ever gonna have."

Inuyasha flexed his fingers and bristled in annoyance. He so was not in the mood for one his sister's speeches because in the end it would yield the same result.

"Are you pressuring her?"

"What?" Inuyasha nearly yelled. How dare she accuse him?

"Well are you?"

"You're joking right?"

"No I'm not Inuyasha. I know how you are about sex."

Inuyasha turned a cold stare towards his older sister. Is that all people thought he wanted?

"Regardless of what you think you know about me _Neesan_, that's not the only thing that occupies my mind."

"Well you can't blame me for asking. You told me yourself that's it's the only thing you seem good at."

Inuyasha folded his arms across his chest in anger. It was bad enough people looked on him in disgust. Did they really have to perceive him to be an even uglier monster?

"I guess you think I'm an iceman too."

"Now what are you talking about?"

"Oh you know. I'm robot. I don't have any feelings. I'm just a waste of both human and demon existence. The only thing I'm good for is a _rut_ in a dirty alley or the back woods."

"What are you talking about?"

"Go to hell Sango!"

"Inuyasha!"

"Don't you Inuyasha me! I'm tired of people talking about what I feel and what I want or don't want. I knew people looked on me in disgust but I didn't think my own sister did as well."

"No! That's not true!"

"You're no different from everyone else _Neesan_."

"That's not true Inuyasha. You know that's not how I see you."

"Then why are you always so quick to defend Kagome?"

"Because she's a nice girl and she doesn't deserve to be used by you."

"You don't know what I want to do to her. But for the record, if I did want to screw her until she couldn't walk straight ever again I don't see how that's any of your business!"

"Would you listen to yourself?"

"I am listening to myself. Kagome is a grown woman. What we do or don't ain't your business or anyone else's. So what if I want to have sex with her. It's not like the world is gonna come to an end if that happens."

"And you wonder why people think you have a one track mind."

Inuyasha unfolded his arms and pounded his fist onto the bench, drawing the attention of their children.

Sango looked upon him with weary eyes and tried to touch him.

He flinched and glared at her. "Don't you dare touch me! I'm sick of you and I'm sick of Kagome and I'm sick of this stupid conversation. You two have got me all figured out. I don't know why you're even making a big deal about it. I haven't done anything to Kagome that she hasn't wanted me to do."

"I know how she feels about you _Otouto_."

"So do I. I know she wants me. I know that better than you do."

"Then try to understand that it isn't just about sex with her. She wants a relationship with you Inuyasha but she knows that's not what you want from her."

"And how do you know that? Are you psychic?"

"You know what I mean Inuyasha. You and she both want different things from each other and I don't think it's fair of you to cut her out of your children's lives because she won't comply with your demands."

"I'll do whatever I want to with my children."

"That's not fair Inuyasha." Sango pleaded, her heart beginning to accelerate inside her chest.

"I don't care. I won't have you or Kagome telling what I can or cannot do with my own children. They are mine and I'll do whatever I want to do with them!"

"Even if it hurts them? I know you've noticed how depressed they've been since she left your house."

"That's just too bad, because I don't want that woman back in my home again."

"But she's their aunt Inuyasha. She's Kikyo's sister. You can't cut her out of their lives. She's the closest thing they have of their deceased mother. You can't do that to them. You even named one of your daughter's after her."

"That was Kikyo's idea."

"It doesn't matter who's idea it was Inuyasha. She loves those children. She loves you. Can't you understand that's those are the reasons why she doesn't wanna be a plaything for you. If she agrees to be with you on your terms she'll just end up far worse off than she already is."

"You don't know what you're talking about Sango and I'm tired of explaining myself to you." Inuyasha snapped before rising from the bench.

"Please don't turn a deaf ear to me little brother."

"I've had it with this Sango! I don't want to hear anything else about Kagome! If I hear her name again I swear I'll pluck both of my eyes out with my own two hands!"

"Stop talking like that Inuyasha!" Sango yelled before gripping the arm of the bench tightly. Her heart began to beat even faster than it was before. Something inside of her told her to calm down, but she couldn't. When it came to throwing a tantrum she could do it just as well as her brother.

Things went from bad to worse. She and Inuyasha became engaged in a heated argument, both of them yelling at each other word from word. Inuyasha wouldn't back down and neither would she. They both were so upset that they didn't notice that their children had stopped playing moments ago and were silently standing in the background watching their parents verbally attack each other.

"Don't talk to me about that woman again! I don't want to hear that she loves me! I don't want to hear that she's afraid of me and I certainly don't want to hear that she loves my children because it's all a lie."

"That's not true and you know it!"

"It is, especially about my kids. She may feel something for my girls, but she doesn't feel anything for Kenshin. She probably thinks he's a monster like that whore sister of her's did!"

The sound of crushed branches interrupted Sango and Inuyasha's argument and they both looked up to find their children huddled under a tree. Kenshin stood in front of his sisters, his hands fidgeting and his eyes wounded as though if he'd lost his best friend.

Sango raised her hand and slapped Inuyasha hard across his face. "Don't talk about their mother like that! God! I had no idea you were so cruel!"

Inuyasha felt the anger inside of him boil. He hadn't meant for his children to hear him degrade their mother. He felt really bad for saying it, but it was the truth. It wasn't fair that everyone treated Kikyo as a saint and him a monster when she behaved just as immorally as he did, but he was tainted. That's how everyone saw him.

"Kenshin?"

"Yeah dad?"

"Get your sisters. It's time to go home."

"Wait Inuyasha!"

"Back off Sango! I'm done arguing with you."

Sango growled and slapped her hand against her thigh. Her brother was a brick wall. Nobody could reason with him no matter what angle they came at him from.

"Why are you always trying to run away? That doesn't solve anything."

Inuyasha ignored his sister and turned his attention to his son. "Kenshin, let's go!"

Kenshin wasted no time collecting his sisters. He held Kara with his left hand and her twin Kay with his right one. Then he headed to his father to retrieve the keys to his car.

"Inuyasha, don't do this! Don't turn your back on me. You know I'm all you got."

"I know you think you know what's best for me San, and I appreciate you for looking out for me, but you are not gonna run my life. I'm gonna live my life the way I want to live it and I don't care who doesn't like it."

"God! Inuyasha! What is it gonna take to get through to you?"

Inuyasha stomped his feet against the ground and lifted his hand and slammed it against the bench he and Sango had both moved away from. In one fluid movement the bench cracked into two large pieces and then fell completely apart.

Sango stared at the broken bench in shock as a single tear slid from her eye. Then she moved her body closer to Inuyasha until they stood face to face. Before she could open her mouth he silenced her.

"Don't you dare say another word! I mean it!"

"Are you threatening me?"

No! I'm not, but don't give me a reason to cut you out of my life."

Sango folded her arms in frustration as she began to double over in tears. "What is the matter with you? I knew you were rough around the edges and insensitive, but I had no idea you were so heartless too."

Kara and Kay stood behind their brother trembling, afraid of the heated argument ensuing between their father and aunt. Kenshin felt the anger boiling inside his father. He had to stop him and Sango from fighting with each other. The situation was already way too out of hand.

"Dad! Stop it! Let's just go home!"

"We'll go home when I say it's time for us to go home!"

"Dad please!"

"Kenshin! Shut up!"

"Stop yelling at him Inuyasha!"

"Don't tell me what to do! Bothersome wench!"

"Don't you dare call me a bothersome wench, you stupid half breed."

The moment the words flew from her mouth, she clamped her hand over it. She saw Inuyasha recoil and look away from her his hanyou ears flattening against his hair. Beyond him stood his three children. His two daughters were fidgeting nervously behind their brother who was trembling and fighting hard to keep his composure.

Sango placed a hand over her chest as her whole body began to shake. She felt like garbage. She was utterly ashamed of what she'd just said, and to her own brother no less. She started to heave as feelings of intense anger suddenly turned to remorse.

Everyone was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was that of the twins sniffling behind Kenshin and young Miatsu who was driving his toy car up and down his arm. He'd somehow managed to get next to his mother, and despite all the arguing that had gone on, he remained oblivious to everything unfolding around him.

Without another word spoken between the siblings and their children, Inuyasha kept his eyes on the ground and walked away from his sister. His children quietly followed behind him. They walked away in search of Inuyasha's vehicle.

Sango watched silently as they walked away, her heart being torn into a thousand little pieces. She wanted to run after them and apologize. She wanted them to know she didn't see them in a negative light. She wanted to be forgiven, but she stayed where she stood.

They both had said enough to each other today and needed time to cool off. She coughed as a huge wave of emotions seemed to come at her full throttle and before she knew it, she was gasping for breath. It felt like someone was squeezing her heart and refused to let it go.

Her knees quickly grew weak as she reached out to grab something to hinder her fall, because she knew one was coming. Her eyes scanned the grounds for her brother but she couldn't see him. Panicking, she forced her body forward, as it suddenly became too heavy.

4 year old Miatsu stared up from the ground at his mother. Something was wrong with her. His young mind couldn't comprehend what but he looked upon her in fear. He watched as she tripped over her own leg and when he saw the way her body jerked forward he released an ear-piercing, blood-curdling scream.

Inuyasha, who was getting ready to step into his car, twitched his ears at the sound and immediately he backed away from his car and began running back to the park bench where he last saw his sister. He looked ahead just in time see her falling hard to the ground.

"_SANGO!"_

Immediately his heart pumped at full speed inside his chest as stamina he never knew he possessed sent him right next to her crumpled form as she lay down upon the ground.

Miatsu was pulling on her shirt and her eyes were closed.

Inuyasha stared at his older sister dejectedly. She was lying on her stomach. He plopped down on the ground next to her and turned her body over. Her face and hair was full of dirt and her mouth was half open. He could tell from the rise and fall of her chest that she was still breathing. She looked as though if she was sleeping.

His nose twitched. He smelled blood, Sango's blood, and he also smelled Miroku's. He frowned and before he had a chance to ponder where it was coming from, he saw a large crimson stain on the front of her jeans.

_Oh No!_

He looked around hoping he could find someone to get help, but the park was practically deserted. Most of the families who'd come to visit left nearly an hour ago.

He quickly stood up from the ground with his sister's limp form in his arms. She was injured and if he ran with her, there was a possibility that he could harm her worse. He had no idea what to do.

"Daddy!"

Inuyasha turned around at the sound of his Miatsu's voice. He saw him run past him and into his father's embrace. He blew out his breath in relief. Miroku had just arrived.

He anchored Miatsu on his right hip and moved closer to Inuyasha, only now realizing that he was holding his wife close to his chest and she wasn't moving.

"What's the matter with Sango?"

"We have to get her to a hospital. She just had a nasty fall."

"What? How?"

"Never mind that! She's hurt really bad."

Miroku stared at his wife lying against her brother's chest as her head fell backwards. He saw blood pouring from her clothes and onto the ground. He could tell she was in serious trouble.

"Where's your car? Mine's is full. We need to get her to the hospital as soon as we can."

Miroku pointed to a distance not far from where they stood and Inuyasha soared passed him to his car. Miroku along with his son quickly followed behind as they all raced to save Sango and her baby's life.

**Finally, I got another chapter finished. I hope I didn't make you guys wait too long. These past few months have been really busy for me, especially with work and school. I'll try to have my chapters finished sooner. My chapters tend to get longer, the further I go into my stories. So, please forgive me if it takes a while. I desperately need to finish new chapters for my other two stories "Repairing The Wings Of A Broken Butterfly and "In Every Stranger's Face." **

**I know InuYasha has been a major league jerk for most of this story but that's how I envisioned him, but don't worry. He won't stay that way for long. There's plenty of unfinished business between he and Kagome. They'll be facing each other again soon. **

**If you've enjoyed reading this chapter, then please don't forget to leave a review. Feel free to ask questions as well. Hope you'll enjoy. Until next time.**

**~ASIAN*DELICACY~**


	7. Chapter 7 Chaotically Turning

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Inuyasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.**

**NOTE: Please remember that all italicized paragraphs at the beginning of the chapters refer to past events. That's how most chapters in my story will begin.**

_**CHAPTER 7: CHAOTICALLY TURNING**_

* * *

_It was late in the afternoon. In a couple of hours the sun would be setting. The warm winds of summer seemed to stand still as the time rolled on by without a care in the world. The only sound that could be heard was the squeaking of the floor whenever somebody moved across it. It was almost uncanny how quiet it was in the house compared to how noisy it usually was._

_Inuyasha brought his long claws to his head to scratch his itching scalp. It was definitely time for him to wash his hair again. He thought while sitting at the dining room table looking through an old photo album which he rarely did. Not that he didn't like looking at pictures, but sometimes it would be just too painful to reflect on all the people he'd lost in his young life._

_After his parents died, especially his mom, he wanted to die too. He really did. He saw death as better option than living because nothing in the world could compare to the pain he felt when both of them were gone. He wanted to commit suicide and even tried to a few times. Just thinking about it all now made him sick to his stomach. He didn't ever want to go back down that road again._

"_What's with the glum look DogBreath?" Koga asked before walking from the open doorway and taking a seat at the table across from Inuyasha._

_Inuyasha shook his head not wanting to remember anything else from his dark and dreary teenage years. Whoever said that the teen years were the best of your life was high on crack. There was absolutely nothing great about those years, especially if you lived them in his body._

_Koga stared at the photo album in Inuyasha's hand. "Is that book the source of your depression?" Koga asked before reaching for it._

_Inuyasha pulled it away and closed it. "I'm not depressed you stupid wolf. I was just thinking about something."_

"_Well it couldn't have been anything good. You looked as if you'd just lost your best friend."_

"_It was nothing serious. Don't worry about it."_

"_If you say so. Just trying to help."_

"_Thanks, but I don't feel like reliving the past right now."_

_Koga caught the unsaid meaning and backed away. Apparently Inuyasha was referring to that dark self loathsome part of his life that he securely kept tucked away from the rest of the world. _

"_So what are you doing here? Kaguya never lets you out of her sight." Inuyasha joked._

"_She's at work and she does not cling to me like that." Koga replied trying to force away a blush._

"_Oh man! Look at you! You're turning into a tomato." Inuyasha flew into a fit of laughter. _

_Koga opened his mouth to reply but couldn't think of anything clever to say to his best friend. So he just sat in his chair, mouth agape while Inuyasha laughed for all Koga's furrowed brows and red face was worth._

"_It's okay man. I still love ya." Inuyasha said content on joking with his best bud._

_Koga folded his arms and glared at the silly hanyou._

"_Keh. It's not your fault you're whipped." _

_Koga pressed his lips together, suppressing a smirk before replying to Inuyasha teasing. "At least she's legal, Mr. Jail-Bait." _

_Inuyasha's eyes bulged out his head in shock._

"_Yeah I said it! Now what?" Koga teased back at his friend._

"_Don't get your teeth knocked out Koga!" Inuyasha stated all hints of mockery now gone from his tone._

_Koga refused to back down. "Like I said, at least my woman is legal."_

"_She ain't my woman!" _

"_Isn't she? I couldn't tell a few weeks ago. Poor little thing ran out of this house aroused, sweaty, and teary-eyed with the scent of an over sexed horny hanyou all over of her."_

_Inuyasha looked away from Koga and stared down at the floor. Suddenly it seemed more interesting than anything else right now. He didn't dare reply to his friend's comment. He still felt horrible for everything that happened between him and son's babysitter._

"_Dude! What were you thinking?"_

"_Keh. I don't know."_

"_Apparently so. You do know her folks can prosecute you for having sex with her."_

"_I didn't have sex with her!"_

"_But you were going to. In fact I'm willing to bet she's the one that stopped you."_

"_I wouldn't have done it anyway."_

"_You don't know that and you never should've let things get out of hand like that Inuyasha."_

"_I know that. I've already had this discussion with Kagome. I apologized to her and we've both put it behind us."_

"_No you haven't."_

"_How are you gonna tell me what I didn't do?"_

"_Because it's not possible for you to have already moved on from the situation. You and Kagome both have opened the forbidden door to physical attraction and emotions. It never should've been opened, at least not yet. What is she supposed to believe if you tell her you don't want her one minute and then pounces on her in the next breath?"_

"_I told her we couldn't have a relationship. I told her this repeatedly. She's the one who wouldn't stay away."_

"_So you had to give in to her dangerous temptations?"_

"_I didn't want to. I promise I didn't, but dear Kami! She's so gorgeous." _

_Koga raised an eyebrow questioningly. _

"_I know I shouldn't have looked at her like that because she's a teenager but she doesn't look like one, at least not body wise. I bet when she hit puberty she gave all the boys she went to school with a heart attack."_

_Koga laughed and Inuyasha finally gained enough courage to face him again._

"_You still can't have her buddy."_

"_I know that. I told you we both put that whole encounter behind us."_

"_I know you two did. I'm just not sure it's gonna work."_

"_How come?"_

"_You still want her and she's in love with you."_

"_She thinks she's in love with me." Inuyasha didn't bother to correct the beginning of Koga's last statement because it was the truth. He still desired Kagome._

"_In all honesty Inuyasha, I can't say that I believe Kagome's feelings for you aren't real."_

"_That girl isn't in love with me Koga."_

"_How do you know she isn't?"_

"_Cause girls like Kagome don't love people like me. It's not even possible."_

"_Oh God! Don't start with that stuff again."_

"_Hanyous weren't meant for loving Koga."_

"_If Sango heard you say that she'd cut your balls off."_

"_Well I guess you'd better give her a big pair of scissors because it's the truth. Nobody loves hanyous. Heck, nobody even likes them. I know that better than anyone else."_

"_I wish you wouldn't talk like that DogBreath. It's depressing."_

"_Maybe so but it's true."_

"_Explain Kenshin?"_

"_What about him?"_

"_You love him. Don't you? _

_Inuyasha looked away from Koga. His gaze settled onto an half opened window. He found himself staring out of it as his thoughts shifted to past events locked away, connecting him to unforgettable moments in time. Why did Koga have to make him recall the most depressing days of his life. _

"_I should love him. Shouldn't I?" He finally replied. _

_Koga stared at his best friend quietly, wondering what was on his mind. _

"_Truthfully speaking, I really don't know how to answer that question. It's been so long since I've felt love that I don't really know what it feels like anymore." _

"_What about your sister? You can't tell me Sango doesn't love you." _

"_My parents died when I was young. She felt obligated to take care of me." _

"_What about Kenshin's mother?" _

"_She was a hanyou like me. We pitied each other. I think she was a great person but I did not love her and she certainly didn't love me."_

"_If you don't know how love feels how can you be sure what you felt for her wasn't love?" _

"_Trust me WolfMan. It wasn't love." _

_Koga looked surprised at his best friend's admission. He was certain that he at least loved her._

_Inuyasha turned away from the window stealing a glance at the only male he ever called friend and immediately noticed the strange expression on his face._

"_What?" He asked Koga in confusion._

"_Nothing. I guess I'm just surprised to hear you say that."_

"_Keh."_

"_Was there not anything you loved about her?"_

_Almost immediately Inuyasha smirked before his cheeks grew red. There were many things he loved about Kenshin's mother and especially one in particular. Just thinking about it now stirred excitement deep within him and caused his heart to slam hard against his chest. Tempting and very erotic thoughts filled his mind. _

"_Oh! Dear God!" Koga groaned._

"_What?" Inuyasha asked, feigning innocence._

"_Dude! You have a one track mind."_

"_I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."_

_Koga shook his head "So that's what you loved about her. A good lay, huh?"_

_Inuyasha pressed his lips together in an attempt to suppress his impending laughter._

"_That good?" Koga asked with a smirk. _

"_Sweet Kami! Was she ever! Baby girl's sex had it going." _

"_Really now?" _

"_That girl was phenomenal in the sac. Best I ever had."_

"_Probably because she was the first you ever had." Koga replied before laughing._

"_Keh."_

"_You know I'm right."_

_Inuyasha joined Koga in his fits of laughter. When it came to sex he did seem to have a one track mind. It was the only thing he was good at. God knows he wasn't worth much in the emotional department. After all, who'd want to love a filthy hanyou such as himself? _

_Filthy Hanyou. Just the thought of the words was enough to put him in a sour mood. He released his breath raggedly as his mind quickly shifted from mirth to melancholy. Why did everyone who held some semblance of importance in his life always leave? Was he destined to be lonely? After pondering his thoughts for rather lengthy moments his mind became filled with images of Kenshin. At least he'd always have him. Well, he hoped he'd always have him._

"_Everything okay Yasha?"_

_Inuyasha nodded slowly. "She was a wonderful person."_

"_Kenshin's mom?"_

"_Yeah. Aki was awesome, and even if we didn't love each other I'll always be grateful for the few years she was in my life. I suppose if this messed up heart of mine was capable of loving anybody, she'd be the perfect candidate."_

_Inuyasha turned his gaze away from Koga, staring out of the window again. The two grew quiet as there was nothing more to be said. _

_Koga knew Inuyasha shared as much with him as he intended to share and he wasn't a very sharing person. He actually felt bad for the guy. All those years of rejection nearly sent him into a life of perpetual solitude. The only individuals he considered friends were three people and two of them were related. Koga's youth was nothing like his best friend's and just thinking about how Inuyasha must've grown up left a bitter taste in his own mouth. _

_The two men were so wrapped up inside of their pensive thoughts that they barely heard the soft creaking of the screen door as Kagome arrived with Kenshin in tow. She closed the door behind her before stealing a quick glance at the two males. Her brows furrowed together in thought. _

"_Yasha? Koga? Is everything okay?"_

_Koga nodded and Inuyasha quickly turned away from the window. Both of their gazes landed on Kagome's innocent, concerned face. _

"_It's about time you two got back with the ice-cream." Koga replied to her. He knew Inuyasha wasn't about to enclose to her their conversation._

_So they're gonna ignore me. Kagome thought. Who cares? It's not like it's any of my business anyways. Besides, she didn't need to get too involved where Inuyasha was concerned. Things were still kind of weird between them even though they both made up with each other. _

_With the tray of ice-cream cones in one hand and Kenshin's hand inside her other, Kagome quickly walked over to the table and began distributing ice-cream. _

_Kenshin accepted a vanilla ice-cream cone with rainbow sprinkles from Kagome. Then he sat down at the dining room table, quietly eyeing the family album that rested upon it. _

"_Cookie dough?" Kagome asked as she handed Koga his double scoop waffle cone._

_Koga accepted the cone Kagome gave him before flashing his dangerously sexy smile. "Ahh Higurashi. You know me so well." He then leaned down a bit and planted a chaste kiss upon her forehead._

_Kagome blushed and laughed. "You'll do anything for ice-cream. Won't you?"_

"_Just about anything." Koga replied before laughing with her._

_Inuyasha stared at the two of them, feelings of confusion and jealousy invading his thoughts. Why couldn't he get a grip on his emotions when it came to this girl? It wasn't like they were ever gonna have any sort of relationship. It was pointless to even think about it._

_Kagome turned towards Inuyasha, her warm inviting smile still intact. It quickly disappeared when she noticed the scowl on his face. Before she realized she'd done it, her small hand had cupped his strong jaw, the muscles in it quickly flexing and responding to her gentle touch. Dear Kami! She was his undoing._

_Koga licked his ice-cream as his eyebrows shot up in shock. He sensed the unsaid emotions erupting between his two friends. One thing he was sure about. Kagome's attraction to his best friend wasn't one-sided. He could tell that Inuyasha wanted her just as bad as she did him. If a stranger were to walk by and witness the trance that both of them seemed to be in, they'd have no choice but to acknowledge the intimate connection between the two. _

"_Are you okay Inuyasha?" She whispered. Her voice like warm silk upon his skin_

"_Keh."_

"_Are you?"_

"_Yes I'm fine wench. Now would you take your hand off of me?"_

"_I'm sorry." She replied before quickly moving her hand away. _

"_Can I get my cone?" He grumbled, irritated with himself for falling under Kagome's magical spell._

"_Sure." Kagome replied, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She had to get a tighter control on her emotions. She handed Inuyasha the chocolate ice-cream cone. Chocolate was his favorite to eat. _

"_Thanks." _

"_Hey! Wait a minute! You called me a wench!"_

"_So what!"_

_Kagome stomped her foot down onto the floor. "Take it back!"_

"_Nope."_

"_Then give me back the ice-cream cone!" She demanded._

"_Nope." _

_Kagome growled and leaped for the ice-cream._

_Inuyasha held it above his head and smirked at her attempts to retrieve it._

_Kagome folded her arms and glared at him. "You childish jerk!"_

_Koga laughed at both of them._

"_Who are you calling a jerk?" Inuyasha said. His voice taking on a playful and teasing tone._

"_I called you childish too." Kagome replied smugly._

_Inuyasha smirked at Kagome and she smiled, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest. Then they both laughed and rather loudly too. It felt good for both of them to be on neutral ground and joke as they both tried to find their way back to friendship._

_Kagome sat down in a chair next to Kenshin at the table. Then she reached for her strawberry ice-cream cone. Laughing with Inuyasha was a whole lot better than arguing with him. _

_Kenshin pulled the photo album his father had been looking through closer to him so he and Kagome could both take a look at the old pictures._

_Kagome looked on eagerly as she and her favorite little boy ate their ice-cream._

"_That's my granddad InuTaisho." Kenshin admitted proudly as he pointed to a tall male dressed in a pure white and royal blue silk robe._

_Kagome stared at the male in wonder. She could tell from the design of his robe that it was expensive. It probably was imported from China. It was really beautiful, but more beautiful than it was his face. His eyes were the color of a golden sunset, shining brighter than a thousand suns. His nose was narrow and distinct, chiseled to perfection. His lips were pale and full and his smile spoke of mischief. Indigo jagged marks marred either side of his cheeks. They were rather strange looking but they didn't take away from his looks. He was delectable. Inuyasha looked a great deal like him, with the exception of his cute doggie ears._

"_Wow!" Kagome released a playful whistle._

"_Stop checking out my old man." Inuyasha teased._

_Kagome smiled. "Sweet Kami! Your dad was gorgeous Inuyasha. Wow! What happened to you?"_

_Inuyasha smirked at her._

_Kenshin flipped through the pages of the photo album as Koga peered over his and Kagome's shoulder, also looking at the pictures. Inuyasha sat at the table across from them. He had no desire to look into the photo album anymore. It only made him feel miserable and sad._

_He did however watch as Kenshin pointed to different people in the images telling Kagome who they were. She gushed and oohed and ahhed about how beautiful everyone was. She especially liked one picture in particular of him when he was a toddler and was mooning Sango. His mother had taken the picture herself. He was almost three and Sango had just turned eight._

_Kenshin continued to flip through the photo album until he came upon a picture of his grandmother. She was standing outside with her arms stretched out underneath a juniper tree. Her long raven tresses were pulled up into a high ponytail atop her head. Her eyes were a deep shade of ebony and her bow shaped lips were turned upward in a loving smile. She wore a simple cream-colored sleeveless summer dress and she was the most gorgeous woman Kagome had ever seen. _

"_Oh Inuyasha! Your mother was really, really beautiful. I can see so much of Sango in her. Wow! She was so pretty."_

_Inuyasha glanced at Kagome and his son momentarily but still refused to join them in looking through his photo album._

_Kenshin smiled warmly at the photo of his grandmother Izayoi. "Grandma was pretty. Too bad I never got to meet her. Auntie Sango said she was the best mother in the whole world." _

"_I'm sure she was munchkin." Kagome replied to him sincerely. _

_Kenshin flipped through more and more pictures of his family until he came upon one of a young teen-aged girl. A girl he didn't remember, but one that was capable of stirring warm and fuzzy feelings within his heart. _

_She had hair the color of midnight. It spilled down her shoulders and framed her face like a dark halo. She sat upon a park bench and was smiling warmly at the person sitting next her. It was Inuyasha. His arms were folded at his chest and he was scowling._

_Kagome covered her mouth to suppress her impending laughter and failed miserably. Was it ever a time when Inuyasha didn't frown? _

_Kenshin turned away from that photo and on to the next round of images. Kagome and Koga looked on at each one of them. As Kenshin continued to turn through them Kagome noticed that the girl with the dark hair was in quite a few photos with Inuyasha. _

_Her gaze flicked from the pictures to Kenshin and then to Inuyasha. Who was this girl? _

_She turned her attention back to Kenshin again and noticed his small fingers rubbing over a photo of the mysterious girl and in this particular one she was wearing a hospital gown. Her eyes were closed and her head was bent forward in a manner that many associated with prayer._

_Kagome gasped and stared at the picture. The girl was holding a baby in her arms with hair black as the dead of night and there upon his little head were two tiny puppy ears. The baby had to be Kenshin, which meant that this girl was his mother._

_She opened her mouth to say something but snapped it shut as Kenshin flipped to the next picture. It was of the mysterious girl again. She was leaning back in a hospital bed wearing a sleepy, lopsided grin. She looked rather ill in the picture. _

_As Kagome continued to stare at the picture she took notice of the girl's hair again. It was very shiny and thick, and there at the top of her head sat two doggie ears. There was no denying it. This girl was definitely Kenshin's mother. Her hair was the same shade of black as Kenshin's._

_Kagome scratched her head. Something in the back of her mind told her that she knew this girl. A strange sensation seized her chest as feelings of nostalgia invaded her mind. This girl looked like her former babysitter and that's who Kenshin reminded her of. Could it be that this was the same person?_

_She turned to Kenshin quickly as she finally found her voice. "Who is this girl? How do you know her?"_

_Kenshin smiled affectionately at Kagome. "I don't know her but my dad does. I only know that she's my mom, was my mom." He corrected himself._

"_What's her name?" _

_Kenshin went back to staring at the picture of his mother. Her warm, beautiful smile entrancing him beyond measure. He seemed to get lost inside of his thoughts whenever he looked at pictures of his mother. He didn't really pay attention to the other people in the room and hadn't an inkling to the seriousness of the conversation going on that was centered around him. _

_Inuyasha stared at Kagome in confusion. "Why? You don't know her." _

_Kagome directed her to Inuyasha. "Please! I have to know her name."_

"_I don't get where you're going with this, but her name was Aki."_

"_Short for Ahiko?" Kagome asked. _

_Inuyasha frowned. How did Kagome know his late girlfriend's name? _

"_Was that her name?"_

"_Yes." Inuyasha finally replied. "Her name was Himura Ahiko."_

"_Oh my God! Now it all makes sense." Kagome muttered. The truth finally settling into her brain._

_Inuyasha scratched his head and glared at Kagome. "What are you going on about? And how do you know Aki?"_

_Kagome covered her mouth with her hand and glanced down at Aki's photo. Now she knew why she felt this strong connection to Kenshin. For it was the same connection she felt with his mother. She was nine years old when she last saw Aki before she passed away and there wasn't a day that went by in all her sixteen years of living that she didn't think of her._

"_Kagome?" _

"_She was what I am to Kenshin, Inuyasha."_

"_What?" He asked in confusion._

_Kagome took a deep breath before turning her gaze back to her silver haired friend. _"_I remember you. I remember it all." Kagome said her voice thick with intense emotions. _

"_Kagome you're not making sense._

"_I saw you at the hospital that day."_

"_What day?" _

"_The day Kenshin was born. You were running down the hall but she'd already died."_

_Inuyasha looked at Kagome in disbelief. _

_Koga stared at Kagome as if he'd seen a ghost. "Wait! What? Are you telling us that you were at the hospital that day?"_

_Kagome nodded. "My mom was there getting ready to give birth to my other little brother. He didn't make it though."_

"_I'm sorry to hear that." Koga answered sincerely._

"_It's okay. It seems so long ago now. There were many things going on that day and one thing that I'll always remember besides losing my little brother is talking to Ahiko. She was really sick." A tear slipped down her cheek quietly. "I talked to her and she let me hold baby Kenshin and then I had to leave."_

_Kagome got out of her chair and slowly walked over to Inuyasha and touched his arm. She could still remember the look of lost and sadness on his face when he stumbled into the hospital only to find out Aki had already passed away. It broke her heart to remember it. She reached up and cupped his jaw._

"_I'm sorry."_

_Inuyasha only stared at her strangely._

_Koga looked over to them wondering about Kagome's admission. What were the chances of her actually knowing Kenshin's mother? The whole situation was just plain uncanny to say the least. _

"_Kagome this all sounds very strange."_

"_I'm not making it up Koga."_

"_I know that. I actually believe you." He assured her. "But you have to tell us how you even know Ahiko. I can't believe that she'd let a girl she didn't know hold her newborn baby."_

_Kagome kept her gaze on Inuyasha as she answered Koga's question. "I did know her Koga."_

"_You did?"_

"_Yes. You see, when I was a little girl, Aki used to be my babysitter."_

* * *

Kagome slammed the door of her uncle's cherry-red _Lexus Hybrid_ and tossed the keys into the pocket of her calico cargo shorts. She smoothed down the front of her fitted pink tank top and stared down at her beige flip flops. She released a slow breath, slung her purse over her shoulder and then began her journey towards the hospital entrance.

She was lying down in her hotel bed when she received the call from Miroku about Sango's tragic tumble at the park. Miroku's voice was so shrill and frantic that she didn't fully understand what happened to Sango. She only knew that Inuyasha was involved which meant that all hell probably broke loose. Sango and her brother both had _tough-as-nails-personas_.

She scurried out of the parking lot of the _Sardonyx Grace Hospital_ quickly. Thank Kami she found a good parking space, cause she didn't feel like doing a lot of walking tonight and she would've done a lot of walking if she happened to land a crappy parking space. _Sardonyx Grace_ was the largest and most elaborate human hospital in _Furigana_.

She made it to the hospital entrance quickly as feelings of déjà vu crowded her psyche. The last time she was at a hospital her and Inuyasha were arguing like nobody's business. Now she was at the hospital again. It was a different one but she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Bad things always happened at hospitals. Maybe that's why she hated going to them.

Here goes nothing. She uttered mentally bracing herself for whatever situation lay before her. Although she was hoping that nothing too serious had transpired between the Ishikawa siblings. The doors came open automatically and Kagome entered through them in search of her family and friends.

She walked up to the front desk prepared to ask about Sango when she heard a male voice swearing and yelling to the top of his lungs. Almost immediately she groaned and moved away from the desk. His voice was becoming clearer and so was other voices that she hoped wasn't at the hospital.

She heard the broken cries of children. The yelling and screaming of at least three other adults. The sound of several footsteps and even the sounds of things being tossed at the walls. She was almost afraid to turn the corner because she knew for certain she'd get caught up in the aftermath.

The noisy members of the crowd finally made their wait to the usually quiet waiting area. The first people Kagome noticed were Miroku and Inuyasha yelling and threatening to snap each other's necks. Koga was holding Miroku's son Miatsu with one hand and trying to pull Inuyasha away from Miroku with the other hand. His wife Ayame was trying to pull Miroku away from Inuyasha while holding her baby Amaya with her right arm. The whole situation nearly broke her heart.

However, it paled in comparison to the look of paranoia on her nephew and nieces faces. As always Kara and Kay stood behind their big brother clutching the back of his shirt. Their dark brown eyes were large and fearful as they clung helplessly to Kenshin. He was their protector. The sad thing about that was the fact that he needed someone to protect him. He might've been part demon but he wasn't mature enough to fend for himself.

Kagome looked up into his amber eyes. There was so much mental anguish swimming inside of them. He looked lost and hurt and afraid. He looked broken. She'd seen only one other look like that before. She was seven and though they hadn't known each other then, she'd never forget that broken and empty look she saw on Inuyasha's face.

She felt tears gathering in her eyes and she snapped. Her nieces were scared out of their mind. Her only nephew was afraid of his father and on the verge of a total meltdown. There wasn't much more his mind could handle. She was certain of it. She'd kill Inuyasha before she'd let him destroy his children even if it broke her in the process. She had to protect the children.

"This is all your fault Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted in anger. "If you hadn't gotten Sango so worked up she wouldn't even be in this hospital!"

"I didn't push her on the ground!" Inuyasha roared back.

"No you didn't but you certainly dealt the damage! I swear to Kami if she or our unborn baby dies I'll kill you myself!"

"Miroku!" Ayame shouted. "Don't talk like that!"

"Don't worry Ayame." Inuyasha said as he inched closer to his brother in law. "I'm hardly threatened."

Miroku balled up his fist tightly and slammed it into the wall barely missing Ayame's face.

Koga's eyebrows drew up in anger before he glared at Miroku. "Watch your hands monk or you're gonna have more than _DogBreath_ to deal with."

"Screw you stupid wolf. I'm not afraid of you or that mangy mutt bastard behind you!"

"Koga! Don't encourage him! He's already pissed off." Ayame said to her husband.

"He almost hit you!" Koga shrieked.

Inuyasha smirked. "Don't worry Koga. If your wife and Miroku got into a fist fight then Ayame wouldn't have anything to worry about. Fighting Miroku is like fighting another girl."

"I've had just about enough of your childish attitude Inuyasha. You need to frigging grow up."

"Shove it choir boy or I'll put another hole in your other hand!" Inuyasha teased cockily.

Miroku smirked. "Oh I'm so afraid!" He said sarcastically.

"You should be. I could snap that scrawny neck of yours in two."

"STOP IT! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" Kagome screamed to the top of her lungs.

Ayame, Miroku, Koga, Inuyasha, Kenshin, Kay, Kara, Miatsu and even baby Amaya immediately stopped talking and turned their attention to a very irritated and angry Kagome. Their anger seemed to dissipate. Her fists were balled at her sides and she looked about ready to kill all of them, except the children.

She stalked her way over to the whole group of them. They were so engrossed in their argument that they hadn't noticed the lady at the front desk calling security. If she couldn't get her friends under control, then the police would intervene and somebody would probably get arrested and that was the last thing any of them needed.

"What is the matter with you guys? Fighting in a hospital? There are sick people here who don't deserve to be subjected to this nonsense."

Inuyasha released his breath in annoyance. He could feel one of Kagome's speeches coming on.

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. He was trying to get under her skin and doing an excellent job at it.

"Could you guys at least not fight in front of the children? You're scaring them."

Miroku looked over towards Koga and noticed Miatsu clutching onto the wolf demon tightly, his lower lip trembling. Immediately he felt guilty. The poor little guy had already witnessed his mother take a nasty fall. He didn't need to see his father wind up in a bloody state as well.

Kagome touched her best friend's arm. "Ayame, you should get little Amaya home. She looks sleepy and you're probably tired. I'll stay here with Koga and the guys."

"Kagome?"

"She's right babe." Koga said before moving away from Inuyasha. "You and Amaya should head home and get some rest."

"How are you going to get home?" Ayame asked not wanting to leave yet, especially with everything spiraling out of control.

"I can take him home." Kagome replied. "Uncle Na-Na let me borrow his _Lexus_."

Ayame slowly nodded before kissing her husband's lips. "I'll see you later."

"Ditto." Koga whispered to her affectionately.

Kagome smiled secretly. Not only were Ayame and Koga her two best friends, they were also her favorite couple. She hoped one day she'd be lucky enough to find what they found in each other.

Ayame bundled up little Amaya and quietly exited the hospital waiting room.

Miatsu climbed down from Koga's hip and walked over to Kagome and grabbed onto her leg. She looked down at him and flashed him a tender loving smile.

"Hey there little guy." She bent down and lifted the little boy and securely placed him on her hip.

"I'm going to go check on Sango." Miroku announced. "Can you watch my little guy for me Kagome?"

Kagome nodded.

Miroku whispered a thank you before turning an evil glare at Inuyasha. Then he disappeared around the corner and down the hall in search of his wife's hospital room.

Kagome anchored Miatsu a bit higher onto her hip and turned her attention towards Inuyasha. He was still pissed at her. She could tell. So it was up to her to be civil cause he certainly wasn't gonna be the first to spark up a conversation with her. Maybe she should start with the children first. They were safer to talk to than their father.

"Hey guys?" She said after turning in their direction.

Kenshin looked at Kagome briefly before turning his gaze away from her.

Kagome frowned. Something was amiss about her nephews glance.

Kara and Kay peeped from behind their brother smiling shyly at their aunt.

Kagome offered them a warm smile. "How are my favorite girls?"

The twins moved to step away from Kenshin looking at their father nervously.

Kagome noticed the odd interaction and suddenly felt sick to her stomach. She reached out her free hand to them not caring that Inuyasha forbade her from being around his children.

"Come here." Kagome urged them.

"No!" Kenshin whispered firmly.

Both girls folded their arms and remained behind their brother.

Inuyasha smirked and almost giggled out loud.

Kagome looked at Kenshin strangely. Why did he tell his sisters not to come to her? Was he mad at her? She hoped not because the ill feeling between her and his father wasn't entirely her fault.

"Kenshin?"

"I don't want to talk to you." He uttered in a tight clipped voice sounding more like his father than he ever had in his life.

"Munchkin?" Kagome called to him affectionately in the beloved nickname she bestowed upon him when he was six years old.

"My name is Kenshin not munchkin." He replied to her coldly. It was as if he turned his emotions off completely.

Kagome's throat quickly became thick. She was going to cry. She could feel it in her gut.

"Honey, just because your dad and I don't get along doesn't mean that I don't love you. Okay? Aunt Kagome will always love you, you and your sisters."

That little admission caused Kenshin's bravado to crumble a little. He pressed his lips together before staring at Kagome. "You don't mean it."

"Yes I do! I love you. You know that."

"But you're not my real aunt and I'm a filthy hanyou. Nobody loves filthy hanyous."

"No! No! Don't say that! You're not a filthy hanyou. Please don't believe that honey!"

Kenshin folded his arms at his chest feeling utterly hurt and confused. "I want to go home dad."

Inuyasha, who had been standing a small distance away from them, smirking and watching the whole interaction between Kenshin and Kagome, now wore a guilty expression upon his face.

"Can we go home dad?"

Inuyasha nodded to Kenshin and turned to Koga. "Do you mind taking them home with you?" Inuyasha asked before taking the keys to his automobile from the left pocket of jeans and tossing them to Koga. "I don't want to leave until my sister is okay."

"No problem and give me an update on her status when you can."

Inuyasha nodded curtly and sent his three children out the door with his best friend.

Kara and Kay waved to their aunt before they left. Kenshin refused to even look in her direction again. They all slowly and quietly left the hospital and headed for Koga's and Ayame's home.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha angrily. "What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything to him."

"You're a liar!" She sighed heavily. "I know you hate me but did you have to poison your own kids against me too? That's really low Inuyasha."

Inuyasha sighed and glared at her. "You know what! I don't have time for your drama Kagome."

"You're so heartless! You are the most heartless man I've ever met!"

"Dear Kami! Spare me the speech."

"Is it worth it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're trying to get rid of me Inuyasha. You're trying to wipe away every ounce of my existence."

"Honey you don't mean anything to me. Why would I want to get rid of you? You hold no significance in my life."

Kagome felt bile rising in her throat. She knew her half demon brother in law was harsh, cruel and never loved her, but he didn't have to treat her so cold. She blinked back tears and shifted nervously with Miatsu in her arms. She would not let this man break her. She refused to.

"Why do you hate me so much Inuyasha?"

"Keh."

"No! Please tell me because I need to understand what I did to you that was so horrible."

"Kagome I'm really not in the mood for this right now."

"Then make some time!" She whispered angrily not caring that her tears now freely spilled down her cheeks.

"I really don't want to argue with you."

"I don't want to argue with you either Inuyasha. I've never wanted to argue with you. I know we have our differences but I don't want the children to get hurt."

"My children aren't going to get hurt."

"If they're caught in the middle of our fighting then they will get hurt."

"I'm done talking about this Kagome."

"No Inuyasha! What do I have to do to get through to you? It seems like no matter what I say or do you get mad at me. You act as though if I've wronged in some way and that makes me feel guilty, and the only thing I'm guilty of is a crime of passion."

Kagome! Please! Stop it! I don't want to hear it."

"No! Let's just lay everything out on the table. You know how I feel about you Inuyasha. Heck, everybody knows how I feel about you. And you know I don't even care anymore. It's not like you and I will ever have any type of relationship."

Inuyasha stared down at the floor for a moment. Hearing her admit those words left a very sour taste in his mouth and he felt like the biggest fool to ever set foot on God's green earth. He'd screwed up big time. He had an uncanny knack for royally screwing up everything and everyone in his life.

"Can't we come to some kind of understanding for the children? I love Kara and Kay and my munchkin. I don't care if they're half demon, full demon or not. I love them, blood related or not. Please don't take them away from me. Please! I'll do whatever you want, but please don't make them hate me."

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably beside Kagome wishing that the floor would open up and just swallow him into the lowest and hottest depths of hell. He disgusted himself and he felt guilty as sin. This beautiful, innocent woman was standing here telling him that she loved him, and would probably do anything for him, and he didn't even have the guts to answer her back truthfully.

She loved him. She loved his children and never asked for anything but for him to allow her to be a part of their lives. That wasn't asking for much, but because he was so stubborn, egotistical and lust driven he drove her away and blamed her for everything that went wrong in their lives, when in actuality, he was the culprit. He was the source of all the heartache. It was his doing all along.

Kagome watched the conflicting emotions pass over Inuyasha's face as he contemplated his next words. He really seemed to be struggling internally. Her fingers itched to caress his worrisome face.

"_MURDERER_!" Miroku's agonizing cry erupted inside the walls of the hospital.

Kagome and Inuyasha nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound of Miroku's voice. They both turned around in time to see Miroku wildly swinging a long golden staff their way. Inuyasha pushed Kagome away from him as the staff narrowly missed her head and came crashing down onto the top of his own.

Kagome clutched Miatsu close to her chest as she forced her weight backwards in order to take the brunt of the fall. She landed heavily onto her back and yelped. It hurt but she was okay and Miatsu landed on top her. He released a loud scream and cried into Kagome's chest. She ran a hand through his hair and checked his face. He was okay just quite a bit scared.

She looked over to Inuyasha who'd been hit so hard with Miroku's staff that he staggered back but didn't fall. He looked dizzy. He attempted to regain his posture but before he got a foot straight Miroku crashed his staff against his face. It landed hard on his nose and this time he staggered backwards and fell onto the floor.

Kagome gasped as blood began to quickly drip from Inuyasha's nose. Then she heard a cracking sound and knew immediately that something had to be broken. With Miatsu still clutched tightly to her chest she forced her body up and stood on her feet, running to stop Miroku from attacking Inuyasha.

Miroku swung his staff at Inuyasha again but missed as he rolled out of the way.

Inuyasha wiped at his bloody nose with the back of his hand and prepared himself to attack his brother in law. He had no idea why Miroku's staff affected him so much. He'd been hit with it before and it'd never been this powerful.

Miroku moved forward. There was so much hatred and malice swimming in his eyes. He raised his staff and swung it again at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha leaped forward and grabbed the stick from Miroku and winced in pain as his hands began to burn. He threw it against a nearby wall only to notice that it was covered with sacred sutras. That's why the golden stick was able to deal harmful blows to his body. Miroku had specifically placed some ancient magic onto the thing so his attack would be affective. His fury intensified momentously and he lunged for his sister's husband madly.

Miroku glared at Inuyasha dangerously as his body began to glow a mystical shade of white channeling every ounce of spiritual energy he possessed inside of himself.

Inuyasha's body trembled in anger in spite of the pain he felt. His own body tingling in anticipation to pummel Miroku right into the ground. He didn't have any spiritual energy but he did have brute strength and was more than capable of delivering a fatal blow to his spiritual friend.

The sounds of chairs shuffling across the floor rang throughout the hospital walls. Nearby innocent people were screaming or speedily pursuing an exit. Some people ran and others crawled afraid for their lives as they watched the half demon and his well endowed friend with immense spiritual energy preparing to attack each other.

A call was made for the hospital security guards and they had yet to show up. Once word got around about what was going on, on the first floor people who weren't patients began to quickly leave _Sardonyx Grace Hospital._ Even the police were afraid to enter the hospital because they knew they weren't dealing with ordinary humans. If things escalated further, then they'd have to call in the demon police for reinforcement.

Kagome watched in terror as the two powerful men squared off against each. She had to stop them or they would kill each other. She released a ragged breath and with light fastening speed she threw her body between the two of them hoping she didn't hurt herself or Miatsu in the process. Her breath came out shallowly and quickly. Her back was to Inuyasha and her chest was facing Miroku. She forced herself to calm down and yet held on to little Miatsu. His little body trembled against her and soaked her tank top with his warm tears.

"Stop it! Both of you! You're gonna kill each other."

"No! I'm gonna kill him!" Miroku uttered bitterly.

"I'd like to see you try." Inuyasha roared back menacingly.

"Back off Inuyasha!" Kagome pleaded with him. He was clearly the strongest of the three of them and could no doubt do the most damage.

"Back off? He's the one that came at me."

"Because you hurt my wife! You hurt her! You hurt your own sister!"

"I wasn't trying to hurt Sango. You know that!"

"You were trying to hurt her. You _filthy_, _disgusting_, _bastard hanyou_!"

"Miroku stop it! I don't believe Inuyasha would intentionally hurt his sister."

"You wouldn't believe it. You're too blinded by your own warped feelings for him."

"That's not fair and for the record I'm not blinded by anything."

"You can stand by this _murdering freak of nature_ if you want to but I want no parts of him."

"He's not a murderer Miroku."

"Yes he is! Sango lost the baby and it's all his fault." Miroku spat at Inuyasha brokenly. He couldn't stop his voice from shaking. He was burning with anger but on top of that he was also hurt.

Kagome gasped and shook her head. "No! That can't be!" Kagome uttered feeling her hands tremble. She clutched Miatsu and pressed her face into the soft black curls of his hair weeping quietly.

Inuyasha felt his heart sink from his chest and fall down to his knees. He flexed his fingers as bitter, alkaline bile threatened to rise from his liver and up to through esophagus. He clutched his stomach securely and pressed his lips together tightly. He could feel the contents of his last meal preparing to erupt from his now sick stomach.

Miroku pointed a quivering finger at him. His emotions raw and edgy and searching for release. "You killed your own niece. A tiny innocent baby still growing inside of my wife's womb. You're so _hateful _and _spiteful_ that you _hurt_ and _harm_ everything and anything that crosses paths with you, even your family.

Inuyasha felt his emotions slipping out of control and he immediately backed away from Kagome and Miroku. He needed to get away from them. He needed to get away from everyone.

"Run if you want to but it won't change anything. I know what _you_ are. You know what _you_ are and soon the whole world will. After I'm done with you everyone will see what a _coward_ you are. Picking on a pregnant woman, making _her _miscarry, and now she's in a coma and I have to be the one to inform her that _our_ baby died when she wakes up, if she wakes up."

Kagome leaned up and touched Miroku's arm giving it a gentle squeeze. Everything was going from bad to worse from insult to injury. How did everything spiral out of control so quickly? She shifted her body so that she could face Inuyasha as she stood in front of Miroku. He had to be really feeling lost right now.

Miroku stepped away from Kagome and moved closer to Inuyasha still not satisfied with leaving things the way they were. Kagome reached for him and he stepped away from her touch. He wasn't done breaking the already broken half demon. He stood face to face with him.

"Leave! Get out! You _taint_ everything you touch! You're _poison_! You're _venom_! You're a _damaged_ man because you were a d_amaged_ child. You were _damned_ from your beginning."

Kagome tugged onto Miroku's shoulder helplessly as his son continued whimpering into her chest. The entire hospital seemed almost too quiet. She, Miroku, Inuyasha and Miatsu were the only occupants still standing on the first floor in the waiting area.

"Miroku! Don't do this! I know you're hurt but breaking Inuyasha won't bring your baby back."

"And my baby wouldn't be dead if this _miscreant_ hadn't attacked my wife. My little girl is dead and she ain't ever gonna come back because Inuyasha _murdered_ her. You disgusting piece of filth. Your mom should've _aborted_ you. Why would anybody give birth to a freak of nature? You were a _mistake!_"

Inuyasha flinched nervously as his hands began to shake.

"You were _mistake_. An _abomination! A wild, abominable animal who belongs in a cage. Hell, a zoo is too good for the likes of you! Your father must've forced himself on your mother because there's no way a willing female would bed a monster herself for the sole purpose of damning creation with your existence._"

"Miroku stop it! You don't have to do this! You don't have to sink this low." Kagome pleaded with him.

Inuyasha felt his anger boil inside of him as his _youkai_ blood rumbled to life within him. He had to get his emotions in check. He never went full demon unless he was near death and he was nowhere near death. However, the things that Miroku said to him were true and were just as painful as a sharp sword piercing his heart turning over and over inside of his chest.

"You're _filthy_, _dirty_ and _disgusting_ and you don't deserve to breathe the very air that you're breathing."

"Miroku PLEASE!"

"You're a _monster_ Inuyasha! You're a _vile,_ _abominable_, _filthy_, _dirty-bastard hanyou_ _monster_. A _MONSTER_!"

"MIROKU!"

Inuyasha staggered away slowly from then until he backed into a wall. His youkai blood roared to life inside of him. His mouth was forced open by his growing fangs and before Kagome or Miroku witnessed his complete transformation he jumped away from the wall and burst through the doors of _Sardonyx Grace Hospital_, shattering the glass of the doors in the process.

* * *

Kagome stared out of the hospital room window for the tenth time tonight watching the stars shine like diamonds in the black sky. She had no idea what time it was and really didn't care at the moment. So much had happened within the last twenty four hours and she wondered herself if things were ever going to get better.

She hadn't seen Ayame or Koga since last night when the whole fight broke between everyone. She didn't have the heart or the guts to call them and tell them what was going on even though she knew she needed to. Kenshin, Kara and Kay were still staying with her best friends and had to be wondering why their father never showed up to get them.

Miroku took Miatsu away last night and went to his shrine. He asked Kagome to stay with Sango until he returned. He needed time to collect his thoughts and purge the evil from his heart. He hadn't called Kagome since earlier in the morning because he didn't know how to face his wife despite the fact that she hadn't woken up yet.

She had no idea what was going to happen next but it couldn't be anything good. Inuyasha was still missing and the longer he remained away the more she worried about him.

She smoothed down her wrinkled tank top that she'd worn since yesterday and moved away from the window and walked over to the bed that Sango was resting in. Her eyes immediately went to the older woman's swollen abdomen. Feelings of grief swallowed her up and she felt herself growing sad. Sango was going to be crushed when she realized her baby died.

Kagome reached towards her and placed both of her hands onto Sango's belly. In another hour she was going to be taken down to surgery so the doctors could remove the baby from her body. They were able to stop her from bleeding yesterday but unfortunately there wasn't much they could do for her baby and so she passed away before she was even granted the chance of making an arrival into the world.

Sango was in so much pain yesterday that her body went into shock and she slipped into a coma. After her fall at the park she never woke back up and the medical team that worked on her weren't certain when she'd awake again. Because her body endured so much yesterday they decided to wait until tonight to remove her unborn child from her.

Kagome squeezed her body into the bed with Sango's and pressed her head against Sango's whispering consoling words to her, knowing the older woman couldn't hear her but somehow hoped that they got through to her anyway. She wished there something she could do to help Sango. She wished there was a way to bring her baby back to life.

She sat up and leaned away from Sango as tingly feelings settled into her stomach. Her hands began to shake involuntarily and she pressed them together. Fear rolled off of her in heavy waves as blazing white energy burned deep within her body. She tried to force herself away from Sango's body but her feet wouldn't obey her. It was as though if the pure burning light within her was trying to get her attention.

She shuddered under the force of it. Her aunt Kaede always told her that she and her sister Kikyo possessed unique abilities but they never paid any attention to her. Although, there were a few times when the both of them witnessed a myriad of white lights spilling from their bodies. They were descendants from a large clan of _mikos_ but that never mattered to them because _mikos_ were pretty much extinct nowadays.

However, Kagome couldn't deny the immense amount of strength tugging within her begging to be released. She knew what this ancient magic wanted her to do but she was reluctant to give in. She didn't like calling forth this spiritual power because it had let her down when her sister was in the hospital dying. After she did die she never bothered trying to tap into her spiritual energy again, but this time it was forcing her to react. She didn't have to try to tap into it. It roared to life inside of her soul of its own accord.

She stood ramrod straight and moved her left hand to top of Sango's belly and her right to the bottom of it. Her eyes closed slowly as she began to utter words from an ancient time. Her lips moved up and down as her hands did upon Sango's body. They moved around in a circular motion until they both stopped in the very center of her belly.

Bright white light tinted with a pinkish purple hue flowed off of her in tremendous waves and poured down her fingers and onto Sango. The pure energy danced inside of her body warmly rubbing up against her insides until it dripped from her body.

Kagome felt herself sweating as her body began to react to the immense amount of energy leaving her. She swayed for a moment but she wouldn't take her hands away from her beautiful friend whose heart was as pure as gold and spirit as strong as a warrior's.

She felt life spark to life within her unconscious friend as her eyes began to grow heavy. She lost her footing and slipped falling to her knees. She used up too much energy this time but it was worth it. Her hands slowly slid away from Sango's body but not before she felt the jolt of life burning underneath her fingers. With a content smile she closed her eyes and succumbed to the darkness overtaking her. She couldn't wait to wake up tomorrow. Everything was going to be okay.

* * *

**Hello readers! Sorry it took a while to complete this chapter. I'll try to have the next one posted sooner. This chapter was really intense and emotional and kind of difficult for me to write but I had to pull out some emotional stuff. I hate writing angst but the bad has to come before the good. Things will change for the better soon….eventually. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please don't forget to leave a review or send message. Until next time!**

**~ASIAN~DELICACY~**


	8. Chapter 8 Remembering Ahiko

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own InuYasha. I'm just a fan of the show. All rights to the character belong to its creator Rumiko Takahashi.**

**NOTE: This chapter goes a bit further back in time than I usually go. In the beginning scenes of this chapter you'll be getting a glimpse of what happened the day Kenshin's mother died. Everybody will be much younger and you'll get to see how Kagome, InuYasha, Ahiko and Kenshin's life are all connected. I won't explain everything in this chapter but there will be some vital information revealed. Other reflections of the past will be revealed in upcoming chapters as there's a lot that still needs to be explained.**

**NOTE: Please remember that all italicized paragraphs at the beginning of the chapters refer to past events. That's how most chapters in my story will begin. Afterwards I will revert back to current present events. I did make a few changes to the previous chapter at the beginning. So, if you've followed this story from the beginning, you may want to go back and re-read it. Sorry for updating late. Please ENJOY!**

_**CHAPTER 8: REMEMBERING AHIKO**_

* * *

_The winds of the world were gently blowing across the horizon. The birds were chirping and cooing in their nests as they sat perched high amongst the grounds in the sakura trees. The sun would be setting in a few hours and the abundance of rain could be heard from the heavens above. The thrill of summer heat beat down slowly upon all the inhabitants of Daigon County as the seasons of change propelled onto all those strong enough to face it. Today would change lives permanently in the most unimaginable way. _

_It was 5:00 in the evening. Nine year old Kagome Higurashi sat upon a long tan bench beside her father Sanoske Higurashi. Asleep in Sanoske's lap sat his three year old son Sota, Kagome's younger brother. The Higurashi's were all gathered together in the waiting area of the Koshikawa Medical Center, except for the oldest Higurashi child, 17 year old Kikyo. She was gone away to Tokyo Japan to complete a summer internship at Yamamoto Enterprises. Her mother Kaoru Higurashi was inside room 351 of the Koshikawa Medical Center preparing for the arrival of her fourth child. Her family had yet to hear word from her doctor. _

_Kagome pulled the helm of the pink tee shirt she was wearing and stared down at her baby blue and white Adidas. She was starting to get agitated. Her family had been at the hospital for over three hours and her mother hadn't given birth yet, and she was tired of waiting. With a nervous hand she tapped her father on his arm. _"_What is it now Kagome?" Sanoske asked his impatient daughter. _"_What's taking so long?" She asked her father. "Why hasn't mom had the baby yet?"_

"_Honey, having babies take time. The only thing we can do is wait here patiently for their arrival."_

"_I hate waiting!" She pouted._

"_Well I don't know what you expect me to do about it. I'm not a magic man."_

_Kagome folded her arms across her chest and stared at the floor. "I'm bored dad."_

"_There are magazines on the coffee table in the corner by the television. Go get one and entertain yourself."_

"_I've already looked at all the magazines."_

"_Then take a nap!" Her father snapped at her. _

"_I'm not sleepy!" She mumbled. "Can I call Uncle Na-Na?"_

"_No."_

"_Can I go to the bathroom then?"_

"_Do you really have to go?"_

_She nodded innocently, knowing full well that she was lying to her father._

"_You've got five minutes and five minutes only. If you're not back by that time you're gonna have a difficult time sitting down." He warned her._

"_Okay dad." Kagome replied with a mischievous smile._

_She stepped out of her chair and walked away from her father and entered the ladies restroom farthest away from the waiting area that her family was sitting in. She turned on one of the three sinks in the bathroom and washed her small hands. That way she wouldn't be lying about using the bathroom. She then grabbed a few pieces of the coarse brown paper towel next to the sink and dried her hands off. Afterwards she discarded the used paper towel and slowly crept to the bathroom door and opened it._

_She glanced around the hallway briefly and saw no signs of her father looking for her. Now she could make her escape. She slipped out of the bathroom and swiftly walked away from the waiting area until she was at the west end of the first floor._

_Spotting an elevator at the end of the hall that was unoccupied; she skipped inside and hit the button for the third floor. The elevator doors quickly closed. She had no idea where she was going, but she was gonna find something to do. Perhaps if she looked around long enough, she'd find her mother's hospital room._

_The loud buzz of the elevator and the opening of its doors signaled Kagome's arrival to the third floor. She stepped out slowly and looked around quickly taking notice that there were fewer people on the third floor than on the first one. She looked to her left and right until her eyes caught sight of a glowing green sign that read Maternity Ward. Her mother had to be in one of the rooms on this floor. _

_She began walking around, looking at the various room numbers. Most of the rooms were occupied by expectant mothers, groaning and moaning in preparation of their newborn babies. Some of the sounds they made freaked Kagome out. Others made her cringe, but most just downright cracked her up. _

_She wiped her eyes as tears of laughter threatened to spew from them and then she continued walking until she came to the end of the hallway. She glanced around and even peeked into a few birthing rooms unbeknownst to the room occupants, but was still unsuccessful in finding her mother. She thought of asking a few of the nurses that passed her in the hall but was scared that she'd end up getting escorted back to her father, and she didn't want to face him just yet._

_The sound of jingling keys caught Kagome's attention and she quickly looked straight ahead and spotted a security guard talking to a nurse. Afraid that her father possibly sent the man to look for her, Kagome quietly turned the corner and snuck inside of the first room on her left. _

_She placed a hand over her heart to calm herself. Sneaking around was quite dangerous, but she didn't care. She lived for the thrill of it. _

"_Can I help you?" A familiar voice said from behind her._

_Kagome swiftly turned around so that her back now faced the door of the hospital room. There sitting up in the bed sat a youthful, teen-aged girl. She had very long jet black hair that fell down around her shoulders, framing the porcelain skin of her face. She was dressed in one of the thin white hospital gowns that all the patients wore and she had a tiny, little baby cradled in her arms. _

_Kagome stared at the girl a long time in disbelief before slowly turning her lips up in a jubilant smile. The girl warmly smiled back at her. Within seconds intense emotions tugged at her nine year old heart. The girl reached out a hand to Kagome as her notable, furry-black appendages twitched about playfully on top of her thick coat of black hair._

"_Ahiko! Oh my God!" Kagome said before blinking back tears._

"_Hey kiddo!" _

_Kagome ran to the older girl and stared at her again before carefully laying her head against the girl's shoulder. _

_Aki patted Kagome's small face softly and wiped her tears from her eyes. "What's the matter kiddo?"_

_Kagome trembled as more tears fell from her eyes. "I missed you Aki!"_

"_I missed you too Kagome."_

_Kagome trembled against Ahiko for awhile as she tried to get her emotions under control. She hadn't seen her in months and she terribly missed the older girl. Sometimes at night she'd cry whenever she thought of her because she was really hurt when she walked out of her life. She loved Aki like she did Kikyo and saw them both as her older sisters. She couldn't understand why she stopped being her babysitter. The only thing her parents told her regarding Aki's disappearance was that she couldn't be her babysitter anymore. They never gave a reason why. _

"_Why? Why did you leave?" Kagome managed to ask her in between sobs._

"_I didn't want to Kagome."_

"_Then why did you? I thought you liked being my sitter."_

"_I did like being your babysitter honey."_

"_Then what happened?"_

"_I couldn't anymore."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I'm sick Kagome."_

_Kagome carelessly wiped her eyes and eased back a bit to look at her former babysitter. _

"_You're sick?"_

_Aki nodded slowly. "Didn't your mom tell you? That's why I had to quit being your sitter."_

"_Really?" Kagome asked before pressing her trembling lips together._

"_Yes. I've been sick for a very long time. I just never knew it."_

"_Are you gonna be okay?"_

_Aki's face took on a rather grim expression. She slowly nodded no._

"_You're not?"_

"_I'm not gonna get better Kagome."_

_Kagome released a shaky breath. She could feel her emotions slipping out of control again. She hoped what Aki had wasn't fatal because she was nice and she was too young to leave this world._

"_Of course you'll get better. You're young. Young girls don't get sick and die."_

"_If it were only that simple little Lin. Young girls get sick every day. I'm no different."_

_Kagome's eyes grew wide. "But you look healthy." _

"_I know and that's why nobody would've ever guessed I was sick. I look healthy, but I found out I had some problems with my heart a couple of months ago."_

"_You have a heart condition?"_

_Ahiko nodded slowly._

"_Then you'll have to get it fixed. You're a nice a person Aki with a good heart. Good heart people live a long time."_

"_Thanks for the vote of confidence but apparently I wasn't gifted with a good heart. If I was, I guess some kind of way it turned bad because it's damaging and contaminating everything in my body. _

"_Are you gonna die?" Kagome asked in nearly a whisper, afraid of the answer to her question._

_Ahiko pressed her lips together tightly as her words became constricted within her throat. She didn't want to answer the little girl's question because she knew that it would break her heart. She didn't want to break little Lin's heart. Heck, she didn't want her own heartbroken but it was anyway. It was breaking at this very moment as it had been for a long time. With unshed tears in her eyes and with a heavy heart she tilted her head to the side before slowly nodding yes._

_Kagome's lower lip trembled and her shoulders shook. "What? Stop joking Aki! That's not funny!" Kagome nearly shouted. She didn't like it when people joked about death._

_Aki sighed sadly and blinked her eyes. She wished she was joking but she wasn't. _

"_Ahiko?"_

"_I'm not joking Kagome. I wouldn't, especially about something as serious as death."_

"_But…I don't want you to die. I just found you again. You can't die Aki."_

"_I'm sorry little Lin."_

"_No Aki!" _

"_There's not really anything I can do to prevent my death, Kagome."_

_Kagome shook her head vigorously, refusing to accept what the older girl was telling her. Her small hand began to tremble and before she could utter another word she broke down and began to cry softly._

"_Oh honey! Don't cry!" Aki said to the broken-hearted little girl._

"_No! I don't want you to die Aki! Please!"_

"_I don't want to die Kagome! Believe me, but the doctors can't help me anymore."_

"_No! No! NO! NO! NO!"_

"_Kagome, I'm living on borrowed time. I was supposed be dead years ago."_

"_Why are you giving up?"_

"_I'm not giving up Kagome!" Aki said harsher than she intended to. "I've tried to fight off whatever this is that I have but I can't anymore. My body is too weak."_

_Kagome pointed her little finger at the small bundle in Aki's arms. "What about your baby? If you die he won't have a mother."_

_Ahiko smiled bitterly as a single tear slid down her face. "I don't want to leave my little boy motherless but I don't have a choice now. So, I'm grateful that he'll at least have his father when I'm gone. That's more than what I had as a child. I grew up in a group home. I never knew my parents. At least he won't have to grow up the way I did."_

_Kagome looked away from Aki and glanced down at her baby boy nestling quietly in her embrace. She smiled at the small hanyou as bitter tears continued to fall from her eyes and tumble down her cheeks. "He's so tiny." She managed to say. Her voice was sad and thick with strange emotions. It was nearly too difficult for her to stand here with her former babysitter and talk with her, knowing that she wouldn't be a part of this world much longer._

"_Yeah, he is. He's my little guy."_

_Kagome absentmindedly wiped her eyes with her small hands. _

"_Would you like to hold him Lin?" Ahiko said to her former charge._

_Kagome replied with a quiet nod. If Aki wanted her to hold her little boy, then she'd hold him for her. She opened her hands as the young mother shifted her tired body and carefully placed the sleeping hanyou into the nine year old girl's awaiting arms._

_Aki patted the thick coat of black hair upon her son's head as Kagome stared at him warmly. They both looked upon him lovingly and smiled when his tiny hanyou ears began to flicker about curiously. _

"_He's beautiful." Kagome said after staring at him for so long._

"_Thank you. I'd like to think me and his dad had something to do with that."_

_Kagome blushed and produced a small giggle. "Is his dad a half demon too?"_

_Aki nodded. "Yeah, except he has silver hair."_

"_Wow! Is he old?" The young girl asked in wonder._

_Ahiko blushed. "No silly! He's not old. He's seventeen like I am."_

"_I've never seen a guy with silver hair before."_

"_He's one of the few demons with silver hair and he has the cutest pair of ears."_

"_I wish I was a hanyou."_

"_Trust me Lin, you're better off as a human."_

_Kagome pouted and continued to look at the baby, watching his ears as they flickered about. His mouth came open slightly and she blushed at the small smile that began to tug at his lips. He was such a handsome little guy. Kagome thought as his eyes blinked before fully opening upon her. _

"_Oh wow! He has golden eyes. I've never seen eyes this color before."_

"_He got them from his dad."_

"_Your boyfriend has golden eyes. That's so cool."_

_Aki smiled at the young girl and briefly looked over towards the door. She wondered what was taking Inuyasha so long. He was supposed to be back at the hospital nearly an hour ago and she was starting to get worried. _

_After she'd given birth to their son, her body slowly began its descent into darkness. She felt a familiar sensation seize her chest tightly and her tired body threatened to shut down. She released a shaky and labored breath which caused Kagome to quickly glance at her._

"_Are you okay Aki?"_

_Aki pressed a hand to her chest. _

"_Oh no! Aki! Don't go! Don't leave yet!"_

_The older girl released a groan as her heart began to beat erratically in her chest. She choked down a sob as tears quickly refilled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She didn't have much time left. As she sat in her hospital bed, she could feel herself slipping away._

"_Kagome?"_

"_NO! Please Aki!"_

"_KAGOME! I need you to listen to me."_

_The young girl trembled and squeezed Aki's baby close to her chest and then nodded her head._

"_I need you to do something for me."_

"_Okay." She replied brokenly._

_Ahiko slipped her hand underneath the pillow on her bed and pulled out two red envelopes and lifted them towards Kagome. "I need you to give something away for me."_

_Kagome moved closer to Ahiko and stared down at the two rectangular objects. _

"_These are letters that I've written for the two most important men in my life. One is for my boyfriend and the other is for my baby boy. I need you to give them to my boyfriend when he gets here."_

"_I don't know if I can."_

"_Please Kagome! Please do this for me." The older girl pleaded._

_Kagome nodded her head slowly as painful tears slipped down her face one after another._

"_Thank you Lin."_

"_You're welcome."_

_Aki smiled at Kagome as another wave of intense pains seized her chest. It felt like her heart was going to burst. Her eyes glazed over with more tears as her emotions began to pour out heavily._

_Kagome stared at the girl as her hands began to shake. She didn't want her to die. She loved Aki to pieces, always had. It didn't seem fair that she was going to be gone from her life again after she'd just been briefly reunited with her._

"_Ahiko!"_

"_Take…care…of him…for me…Kagome."_

"_Aki!"_

"_Please…promise me…you'll take care of him…for…me."_

"_Okay!"_

_Ahiko forced a weak smile onto her lips and spread her arms open wide._

_Kagome leaned into the girl's arms and embraced her all the while still holding the baby._

_Ahiko pressed a warm and loving kiss upon the young girl's forehead and then placed the two red envelopes into her hand. She then carefully gathered her baby boy back into her arms._

_Kagome stepped away from her as she cradled the small boy to her chest. She watched as the girl's smile slowly faded away. Her body began to tremble and her skin became paler. The girl fell back against her bed and uttered out brokenly a name that Kagome had never heard before._

"_INUYASHA!"_

_Kagome eyes grew immense as the girl's eyes grew heavy and her hands began to slip away from her son. She shook her head and backed away from Ahiko's bed as a loud beeping sound erupted into her ears. The next thing she knew the door to Aki's room was quickly flung open._

_A woman with long, dark hair rushed into the room and practically shoved her out of the way. She shrieked and ran up to Aki's bed and pulled the small baby away from its mother flailing arms. Then two doctors followed by four nurses rushed into the room. _

_Before Kagome could move another inch she felt someone tug upon her hand and pull her from the hospital room. She didn't know who it was nor did she care because her eyes were glued onto Aki's lifeless form. She had stopped breathing and the doctors were preparing to resuscitate her._

_Whatever happened next she never found out. She'd been taken by the same security guard she'd seen earlier upon entering the third floor of the hospital and brought back down to the first floor where she'd last seen her father and brother. _

_The security guard escorted her over to her father who was clutching Sota tightly and trembling. Kagome wiped at the tears that hadn't stopped falling since she entered Aki's bedroom and stared at her father. He trembled so hard with her little brother in his arms that Kagome grabbed at his shirt. He turned to look down upon her and it was then that she noticed the tears rolling aimlessly down his cheeks._

"_Daddy?"_

_Sanoske opened his mouth to speak to his daughter but got so choked up that he ended up snapping it shut and shuddering like the leaves on a withering tree in late autumn. _

_Kagome stared at her father in confusion. "Daddy? What's wrong?"_

_Her father didn't respond to her. He just continued to hold onto Sota and cry as if there was nothing else for him to do._

_Kagome tugged on her father's shirt again before a loud sound sprang to life near the entrance of the hospital. Her eyes immediately skittered over to the large door as a tall, slim figure quickly ran pass carrying white tulip flowers in his hand. She only caught a brief glimpse of his face as he passed and when he did she saw a trail of long, silver, untamed hair that flowed behind him. _

_Could that be Ahiko's boyfriend?_

_Before she had a chance to think anymore on it she was lifted off of her feet and into the arms of a very strong and powerful man. Kagome turned to look upon the male that now held her. It was her mother's brother, an individual she referred to as Uncle Na-Na._

"_Uncle? What are you doing here? What's the matter with my father?"_

_Kagome's uncle peered into her face and gave her a serious look. "It's my sister." _

"_Mama? Did she have the baby already?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Can we go see him?" Kagome asked as a bright and teary smile lit up her face._

"_I'm afraid not little one."_

"_What? Why not?" Kagome asked her uncle, almost afraid to actually know the reason why._

"_I don't know how to tell you this Kagome."_

"_Tell me what!" Kagome yelled, her sadness quickly turning into anger. _

"_About your mother."_

"_Stop stalling Uncle Na-Na and just tell me the truth."_

"_Your mother lost the baby."_

"_What?" Kagome asked in disbelief._

"_Your baby brother died."_

"_Don't joke like that uncle. It's not funny."_

"_I'm not. I just came from my sister's hospital room and little Sanoske Jr. didn't make it out alive. He was stillborn."_

_Kagome nodded her head in disagreement refusing to accept what her uncle said to her. She couldn't believe it. There was just no way fate was this cruel, losing her former babysitter and her own little brother on the same day and minutes apart from each other._

"_I'm sorry honey."_

"_No! No!"_

"_It's true Kagome."_

"_No! You're a liar!"_

"_Kagome I'm not lying to you."_

"_Yes you are! My brother isn't dead!"_

"_Yes he is."_

"_No! Stop saying that! You're lying!"_

"_Kagome!"_

"_NO! Daddy? Tell Uncle to stop lying. My little brother isn't dead."_

_Kagome was grasping for straws. She was both sad and angry and hoping against hope that some way her baby brother was alive. Although, deep down inside she knew that her uncle wasn't lying to her. He never had before. Why would he start now? She turned her gaze away from her uncle and shot her father a questioning look. _

_He looked right back at her and slowly nodded his head no and when he did he saw something break inside of his daughter. She went stiff in her uncle's embrace and began to push against his chest._

"_No! No! NO!" Kagome fought her uncle and tried hard to get away from him._

_Sanoske gazed at his broken daughter as another wave of heart wrenching tears exploded down his face. Nothing in the world had come close to the pain that now shot around profusely throughout his heart._

"_NO! NO! Not baby Sanoske too. Oh God! Mama! I want my mom! I want mama! I WANT MY MOM!" Kagome wailed and yelled and pushed against her uncle, screaming into his ear until she was physically drained._

_Once she'd finally calmed down her uncle allowed her to stand on her own two feet. He placed an arm around her small shoulders as she leaned heavily against him. She pressed the fingers of her left hand together and it was then that she realized she was still holding the two envelopes that Ahiko had given her. She ran her index finger around the edges of them and before she could conjure her next thought she erupted into tears again._

_She clutched the two red envelopes to her chest with a trembling hand and shifted her gaze towards the elevator. She stared at it and watched as the doors practically jumped open and a teenaged male sprung from it trembling and shaking so bad that she thought he was gonna fall to the ground. Right behind him was an older girl trying to reach for the boy but he pushed past her. _

_He stumbled across the floor carelessly. His thick, silver, long hair flew around him like a halo. Kagome pressed her left hand to her mouth. It was the boy she'd barely got a glimpse of moments ago. The one she believed to be Aki's boyfriend. She watched him wipe at his eyes with the back of his hand before lifting his feet and running like crazy away from the girl behind him and out of the hospital._

_Kagome stared after him silently, never getting a chance to actually see his face or give him the letters his girlfriend had given her. She groaned and continued to cry. The guy was now gone and she probably would never see him again. _

_She closed her eyes and sighed. If she didn't see him again she couldn't fulfill her dying friend's wish and if that happened it would make her even more heartbroken. No! She had to do this. She had to do it for Ahiko and her little boy. She had to do it for them._

_She would see him._

_She didn't know how or when._

_But she would see him again._

_With a heavy heart and a shuddering breath she quickly wiped her tears away with her fingers and refused to shed anymore. She made a promise to her dying friend and she wanted to keep that promise, and if it was the last thing she ever did in her life, then it was this promise that she was determined to keep._

* * *

The sound of birds chirping about happily in the atmosphere flowed around in abundance. The rain from last night had finally cleared away with a small trail of dew upon the sod in its aftermath. The sun seemed to shine brighter and warmer than it had in years. All seemed to be right in the world at that very moment.

Kagome stared out the window of her best friend's home looking out into the distance. It had been three whole days since the incident at the hospital and those three days seemed like three of the longest days of her life.

InuYasha and Miroku fought. Sango's baby died and things just went from bad to worst. Everything and everyone had gotten out of control. Things were said in the heat of the moment and she deemed herself the voice of reason but nobody was interested in hearing anything she had to say. Their world was chaotically turning and just when it felt like there would be no light at the end of the tunnel, they were granted a miracle.

With much prayer and an intense embrace from an innocent and pure hearted miko Sango's baby sprang to life inside of her womb once again. She'd been released from the hospital yesterday and was currently on her way with her family to Koga's house, where Kagome herself and InuYasha's children had been staying since they left the hospital three days ago.

Koga was sitting down on the couch watching Kagome as she trembled and gazed out of the window every ten minutes. She was worried about his worthless best friend. The guy practically ripped her heart out of her chest and stomped all over it every chance he got, and she was waiting for him to make an appearance. He cast a sad glance at her that she never saw and his heart thundered loudly in his chest. Who ever made up the quote _Love Is Blind_ had to have Kagome in mind because she was blind to any and everything when it came to InuYasha.

He didn't deserve her. He might've been his best friend, but he didn't deserve to have someone as kind and compassionate as Kagome loving him. She would've been better off if she'd never gotten tangled up inside Inuyasha's life but the girl fell for the guy almost from the very second she laid eyes upon on him. They'd never dated but anybody could see the blatant desire they felt for one another, although Inuyasha's was far from innocent. Kagome's was more like a school girl crush that just developed into deeper feelings as she grew older.

Kagome turned away from the window to glance at her watch. It was five o' clock in the evening and the sky was already growing dark. She wondered what time Ayame would arrive with the children. They couldn't stay at the beach forever. She could just imagine how much sand Kara and Kay would have in their hair. The mischievous pair tended to go overboard when playing with sand. A hand to her shoulder shook her from her thoughts and she turned around in time to see Koga standing behind her.

"Hey Koga. Do you want something? Do you need me to fix you something to eat?"

Koga shook his head and grinned. "This is my house Kagome. If I wanted something to eat I could get it myself. You should sit down and rest awhile."

"That's okay. I'm not tired."

"Yes you are."

"I'm fine Koga."

"If you say so superwoman."

Kagome huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm fine Koga. I really am."

"Yeah. I'm sure you are but your body still needs rest."

"My body has had enough rest."

"Really? How many hours of sleep have you had in the past three days."

Kagome opened her mouth for a second and then snapped it shut within the next breath. She had no idea when she last lay down to sleep and truth be told could go for a nice, long nap.

"Don't do that to yourself."

"Do what? I'm not doing anything and before you get started, I don't want to hear it."

"Look Kagome, I'm worried about him too but you don't see me staring out of the window or glancing at my watch every five seconds. You need to relax for awhile."

"I can't!"

"Sure you can."

"No, I can't. I've tried sleeping. It's not working."

"So, you're just gonna stand here and look out of the window every day?"

"I'm just waiting to hear from him."

"He's not gonna call Kagome. You know that. He's too stubborn."

"I never said I was waiting on him to call me, Koga."

"But you are and you know he's not gonna call you, especially you."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad Kagome, honestly I'm not but you know how InuYasha is. He doesn't like to accept help from anyone even when he needs it."

"What am I supposed to do then, Koga? I can't just sit around here and not do anything. I have to remain hopeful or I'll drive myself crazy. I just want him to be okay for the children."

"And for you." Koga said, noticing the faraway look in Kagome's eyes.

"No, I honestly want him to be okay because his children need him. He also needs to make up with Sango."

"What about you?"

"He doesn't need to make up with me. I'm not a part of his family."

"You are a part of his family and he does owe you an apology."

"Well you and I both know that will never happen. So, there's no point in even discussing it."

"Then why do you drive yourself crazy worrying about him Kagome?"

"I could ask you the same thing Koga."

"And I'd tell you he was the closest thing I have to a brother."

"So. You also love Ginta and Hakkaku like brothers but you don't worry about them like you do Inuyasha."

"That's because Ginta and Hakkaku aren't stubborn, brash and impulsive. They know how to handle themselves in tough situations. InuYasha doesn't. He has a temper that's out of this world."

"Your point is?"

"My point is I've known InuYasha a whole lot longer than you have. There's plenty about him that you know nothing about. You have no idea how horrible his life was growing up."

"Well if his life is so messed up Koga, why are you friends with him?"

"Because back when we met my life was just as screwed up as his. The only difference is InuYasha never learned how to accept help from others. That cocky attitude of his is just a front because he doesn't like to let his guard down. He thinks it makes him weak. I understand why he is the way he is but he's still wrong for treating you the way that he does."

"How bad was it?" Kagome asked, ignoring the latter part of Koga's statement.

"That's not for me tell Kagome."

"I thought you wanted to help him Koga."

"I do."

"Then tell me about him."

"That's not my place to do that Kagome and it's not yours to ask me about it. If I tell you it'll only fuel his anger and resentment towards you and drive a wedge between the three of us. I won't betray him like that."

"But he's out of control Koga. You should've seen him at the hospital. He and Miroku were fighting like wild animals. I thought they were gonna kill each other. I've never seen them so angry like that."

"What do you want me to do Kagome?"

"Help me find him!"

"Don't you think I've been looking for him? As soon as you told me that he transformed before leaving the hospital I went everywhere searching for him."

"And you still came up short."

"I'm trying Kagome. That's got to count for something. I have a feeling he doesn't want to be found."

"I hope you're wrong."

Koga nodded and stood up from the couch to walk next to Kagome. "InuYasha's lucky to have a person like you fighting for him Kagome, even if he doesn't deserve it."

Kagome flashed Koga a bittersweet smile before turning back towards the window. Koga patted her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then he turned to look out of the window with her. They both watched as a black pick-up truck pulled into the driveway of Koga's home and an extremely tall individual emerged from the truck and practically raced up the stairs that led to his front door.

Koga and Kagome quickly came away from the window and had the front door to his home opened in seconds.

"Jinenji?" Kagome called out to their visitor.

"I found him."

* * *

Once Koga, Kagome, and Jinenji arrived at the forbidden woods it was already nightfall. There was no way they could drive Koga's truck through the woods, so they opted for running. Kagome knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with the horse hanyou and wolf demon, so Koga offered to let her ride on his back. It felt kind of strange doing it now because the last time she climbed upon his back, she was a teenager, and even then it was a rarity. Though he ended up married to her sister, InuYasha always had a problem with her riding Koga's back. She was never uncomfortable with it before but she was now and that was only because he was now married to her best friend. However, under the circumstances, she didn't have a choice at the moment. They needed to find InuYasha.

Kagome tightened her legs around Koga's waist as he bounded through the thick foliage covering the grounds of the forbidden woods. There were trees, broken pieces of woods, stones, streams, and an abundance of wild flora covering the entire area. There was a reason why this place was called forbidden. It was an unstable place for just about any species to inhabit. It was filled with poisonous plant growth; even the grounds were dangerous to walk upon. If it wasn't for Koga and Jinenji's heightened sense of smell, even they'd succumb to the poisonous wildlife.

They were nearing InuYasha. She could tell by the way Koga's legs increased in speed. Jinenji wasn't far behind as he trailed after the two of them. Kagome felt her heart tighten inside of her chest as an odd feeling overshadowed her. She didn't know if the feeling was because of anticipation or fear. She hadn't seen InuYasha in three days. Nobody had. When he went full demon and stormed out of the hospital she was more worried about him than she'd ever been in her 22 years of living.

She feared that in his demonic state he'd hurt someone or get himself hurt. Just thinking about that caused her hands to tremble against Koga's moving form. She released a tormented breath and pressed her lips together. _What if he died?_

Koga frowned and squeezed her knee. He could feel the girl's anguish as her worrisome thoughts coiled around them and it was depressing. He had to get her spirits lifted.

"He's going to be okay." Koga reassured her.

Kagome nodded her head slowly and tightened her grip around Koga's neck.

The three of them ran around for a bit longer in pursuit of their impulsive friend. They had to tear their way across trees that had been uprooted from the ground and tossed into their path. It was as if someone or something intentionally blocked it so that nobody could enter this particular part of the forest. One look of the intentional clawed prints upon the bark and they knew indeed that InuYasha had been the one to destroy the trees. They weren't sure however, if he was the one that piled them together to block entry to the forest.

"We're here." Koga whispered to Kagome.

He made a complete stop and waited a few seconds for Jinenji to catch up with them. Once he arrived next to Koga they both took a moment to catch their breath before surveying the area.

They easily spotted InuYasha. He had one clawed hand upon a thin oak tree and another wrapped around his stomach. He was tired, angry and still in demonic state and he wasn't alone.

Not far away from him stood his fearsome and much revered older brother Sesshomaru. Behind him stood at least ten other demons. They were all dressed in black from head to toe with guns on both sides of their hips and swords across their backs. They were in perfect synchronization and waiting for Sesshomaru to urge them into battle against the single hanyou. He prohibited them from interfering in this battle with his brother.

"Let me down Koga. I can't see anything." Kagome urged him but he tightened his grip on her.

"You have to stay back. These aren't ordinary demons we're dealing with." Koga said to her.

"I don't care. I need to help InuYasha."

"Listen to him Kagome-sama." Jinenji finally spoke. "It's too dangerous for you to enter the battle zone."

"So what am I supposed to do? I can't just stand here. He needs me."

"I know that." Koga whispered. "But there are a lot of demons in line to get a piece of him. We have to strategize before we go rushing in or all of us we'll be meeting our maker sooner than we intended."

"There's not enough time to strategize. We need to move now."

As quickly as the words fell from Kagome's lips, the three friends were surrounded by the very same men dressed in black that they'd glimpsed a mere moment ago. She was grabbed behind by a single demon while Koga and Jinenji both were attacked by over a dozen other demons.

"No! Let me go!" Kagome screamed and kicked her legs as she was lifted into the arms of an unknown dog demon.

The demon moved away from Koga and Jinenji and began to run as the sound of grunts, moans and the scent of fresh blood spilled down upon the forest floor. The sounds of ferocious growls and muffled voices roared throughout the area. With so many youkai in the vicinity, it was difficult to determine whether friends or foes were the givers or receivers of the pain being passed from one youkai to the next.

As Kagome scratched and clawed at her abductor, the vision of her beloved hanyou came into view and her heart nearly stopped beating inside her chest. Her eyes locked upon InuYasha's ragged form. He was shirtless and his chest was spattered with blood, both dried and fresh. His jeans were so tattered that he was nearly naked. He was barefoot and his hair was covered with drops of blood and forest debris. His eyes were the scariest part. They were as crimson as the blood that roared to life inside of his veins.

He looked tired, excited, afraid and dangerous. He'd lost weight. Kagome could tell by the ways his tattered jeans hung low on his hips and at that moment she released a sharp gasp. Reality now donning on her, she was now aware that he'd been this way every since he left the hospital three days ago.

_How was it even possible for him to still be able to function when he'd been in this state for over 72 hours? _

All eyes flew towards her as she covered her mouth before uttering InuYasha's name. Her heart was breaking just looking at him and before she knew it her hands began to glow faintly. She folded them together and shook violently inside of her abductor's embrace as she was carried over to InuYasha's brother.

"Lord Sesshomaru, look who I found trespassing inside the forest." The unidentified male announced holding up an emotionally distraught Kagome as she struggled to get away from him.

"What did you did you find Ryura?" The tall, slim taiyoukai asked as the girl was brought closer to him.

"I found this human wench spying on us along with a wolf demon and a horse hanyou. It seems they're acquaintances of your half demon brother."

Sesshomaru's eyebrow lifted as he gazed upon the human girl being suppressed by Ryura. She looked familiar and without a doubt a member of his brother's pack. She smelled of him but judging by her scent they were only friends but the feelings and emotions being emitted from her spoke volumes.

Before he had a chance to observe the mysterious girl thoroughly, an ominous roar erupted from the throat of his half demon brother. He turned his eyes in his direction and realized that he was running towards them, growling, and screaming and glaring at the human woman inside Ryura's embrace.

"Get back Ryura." Sesshomaru announced before getting into his battle stance.

"What do you want me to do with her?" Ryura asked him.

"She's of no concern to me."

Ryura smirked and stared at the girl fighting to get away from him. He began walking away from Sesshomaru at the same time that Sesshomaru began to run towards InuYasha. He cast his right hand outward as his claws lengthened and began to lighten with a poisonous green glow. He flung his hand towards InuYasha, ready to take down his rebellious hanyou little brother.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as the crimson inside his eyes seem to grow darker. He was tired and his body was threatening to shut down. He was so out of control that he was having a difficult time focusing on his enemy. Physically, he knew he wasn't prepared for another encounter with his brother. He hadn't eaten or slept in three days. Any second he could drop to the ground and die. He knew that, but something inside of him was propelling him to push himself forward.

That something was dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a thin, yellow tank top. Her hair hung around her shoulders and cascaded down her back. She was being held against her will by one of his cold-hearted brother's lackeys. He'd been prepared to surrender until he laid eyes upon her. After he saw her he couldn't back down. His youkai was drawn to her like a moth to a flame and he knew he had to protect her, even if it meant dying in the process.

The whip from Sesshomaru's poisonous fingers latched onto Inuyasha's arm and burned into his skin. InuYasha painfully shook the poisonous whip away as he jumped up from the ground and leaped over his brother's head. He landed in front of Ryura and a trembling Kagome. His red-rimmed eyes fell upon the girl as she and both Ryura stood still.

"_InuYasha_!"

Ryura clamped a hand over Kagome's mouth and glared at the hanyou. "You wanna piece of me?" The evil youkai questioned him.

InuYasha growled and raised a clawed hand to strike the full demon.

Ryura smirked and squeezed Kagome and just as he did he felt her teeth roughly biting down on his hand. He growled and slapped her hard across her cheek with his free hand. Then he tossed her onto the ground and spat in her face. Whatever he might've done next could never to be determined.

Before he could move again InuYasha was on him. He lifted him into the air before silencing him with a clawed hand. The hanyou struck his fist straight through Ryura's throat. His hand could be seen from the back of the full demon's neck. He permanently silenced him before completely decapitating the dog demon, his eyes glaring at the deceased youkai as a hunger for more bloodshed threatened to take over him.

He dropped the lifeless demon to the ground before shifting his gaze to the young woman trembling on the ground not far away from him. He moved towards her and out of fear she inched backwards a small space. The predatory look in his eyes unnerved her and she wasn't sure what to expect next from him.

He stared at her before stretching a clawed and bloodied hand out towards her. She sat on the ground frozen in place as he dropped to his knees in front of her, forgetting that his murderous brother was still on the battlefield not far behind him. He grabbed Kagome roughly and smashed her against his bloody chest, wrapping his arms around her small form.

Kagome released a sharp gasp as his clawed hands sunk into her body, pricking her skin. She embraced him back as much as she could, which wasn't easy to do considering the fact that he was practically smothering the girl. She felt a tear slip down her cheek as a feeling of relief washed over her. She'd finally got to him and he was okay. Well, he was okay for now.

She closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again she felt Inuyasha's nose in the crook of her neck. He was sniffing her. She blushed as another tear slid down her face. Under different circumstances she might've enjoyed this attention, but they were in the middle of a battlefield with a decapitated body next to them. They needed to get up and face his older brother.

Slowly, she dropped her hands from his back and as she did she felt something warm and wet upon neck. Her face turned as least thirty different shades of red and her belly tightened with an unidentified sensation. He was licking her and not with little innocent licks, but with long sensual licks. Her breath hitched in her throat as her heart thrummed against her ribs. His tongue wasn't the only thing wet and warm now. She pressed her lips together and became incredibly still in his embrace. She was more than a little turned on right now but now was neither the time nor the place for such an intimate moment.

InuYasha slowly released his hold on her a bit before peering down into her blushing face. She stared up at him before flashing him a nervous smile. His nose and ears twitched in perfect synchronization as he inhaled the undeniable shift in her scent. Her heart beat lovingly against his chest and caused his own heart to hum wildly inside of his body. His youkai became instantly intoxicated off of the pungent aroma emanating from her body. No other male could stir such feelings within her but himself alone. He growled appreciatively before sinking his face back into the crook of her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed. Within seconds he was dragging his tongue down her neck again.

"_InuYasha_."

His name emerged from her throat in a husky whisper. She barely recognized her own voice as she surrendered to the feeling overwhelming her. This man was her undoing. He was her heart, her soul, her sun, her moon and any and everything else that existed. Her world began and would end with him because beside him there could be no other. She loved him so much that the sheer magnitude of the intensely pure emotion frightened her to her core. It was love from the first moment she laid eyes upon him. She had no idea why she loved him as much as she did. That was something that always puzzled her and it hurt her just the same because she knew that the love she felt for him was unrequited. The single thought brought a bittersweet grin to her lips.

Sensing the change in her emotions, InuYasha squeezed her tighter and began purring low in his throat. The sound caused her bittersweet grin to widen as his warm breath soothed her troubled mind. She lifted a hand from his back and brought it up to his left ear, rubbing the furry appendage between her fingers. It felt good to be in his embrace. She sank deeper into his arms feeling warm, content and protected. The feeling didn't last long.

The sound of skin being forcefully ripped open tore through the night air. A flashing glow of lights soon followed afterwards. All at once the intimate moment was chased away. InuYasha's fangs clumsily came down heavily upon Kagome's neck and sunk deeply into her skin. His sharp canines pricked the fragile skin of her neck and she released and ear-splitting scream. Blood flowed from his mouth in dark crimson rivulets and stained her yellow tank top. She trembled under the pressure of his mouth, more afraid of him than she cared to ever admit. Her eyes slowly came open and she watched as Inuyasha's body fell forwards toppling her.

"InuYasha!" She shrieked half in shock and half in fear.

He didn't reply. She glimpsed his agonizing face before lifting her eyes to the culprit. He hadn't tried to bite her. His brother had attacked him from behind and the force of the impact caused him to roughly slam into Kagome's body. She felt blood coating her midsection and eased from under Inuyasha's body with as much strength as she could. She saw a hole the size of a large clawed hand on Inuyasha's lower back. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears quickly spilled over her eyes.

"NO!" Kagome screamed.

InuYasha slowly staggered to his feet, trembling and shaking like a fig tree shedding its untimely leaves. There was a hole from his back that went straight through his stomach. Blood dripped from his body like a fountain of water and parts of his intestines looked about ready to fall out. He was already weak before his brother struck him. He was certain when he fell down the next time, he might not be getting up again. He reached a hand up before the blackness overwhelmed his body, suffocating him. Down to the ground he fell and this time he couldn't stand up again.

"NO! INUYSHA!"

Kagome moved closer to him and pulled his head into her lap. She felt for his pulse and knew before checking it that he was barely breathing. She had to save him and in order to do that she had to get him away from his brother. She lifted her eyes and glared at his cold-hearted brother. He stood mere inches away from her glaring down at her and InuYasha. He released a satisfied growl before moving closer.

"STAY BACK!" Kagome shouted at him. Tears of pain and frustration rolled down her cheeks. She didn't come this close to finding her beloved hanyou to have him ripped away from her by the hands of his evil older brother.

Sesshomaru ignored the young miko and proceeded to walk towards her. She threw up her right hand in aggravation as if to hold him back but he wouldn't heed her. He continued walking until he was mere inches away from Kagome and his damaged brother.

Kagome's breath hitched inside her throat as her insides ignited with a roaring fire. Her fingers trembled as the power she held within her threatened to surge from her body. She pressed a hand over her heart trying to calm herself because she was afraid of the damage that she would do if she lost control. She glared at the menacing taiyoukai warningly.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

He smirked before replying. "Let go of the half-breed."

"NO!"

"I'm in no mood to play games with you, foolish girl. Hand him over or suffer the consequences."

"NO! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM!"

Sesshomaru smirked again before leaning down towards the trembling girl. She bit down on her bottom lip as his henchmen dressed in black emerged and surrounded her. Her eyes went wild counting all the demons in the vicinity. She could only imagine what they'd done to Koga and Jinenji. Tears wouldn't stop falling from her eyes. They'd reached a dead end and there was nobody left to defend her and her friends except herself. As much as she was afraid of unleashing the power that threatened to consume her, she knew now, that she didn't have a choice.

"Please!" Kagome begged. "Please just leave us alone!" She cradled InuYasha's head in her lap and rocked back and forth. She knew they weren't going to back down but she had to try.

"This ends now." The cold demon lord muttered and reached down to grab InuYasha's bruised body.

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?" Kagome shouted at the taiyoukai.

Her eyes became a misty shade of grey. A fire began to burn on the inside of her belly that shot up to her chest and past her throat. Her body was no longer faintly growing pink. It was now a deep shade of purple that shimmered around her and InuYasha like a halo. Her heart began to beat erratically inside of her chest sending spasmodic tremors throughout her core.

Sesshomaru glared at the young girl surprised at the amount of power flowing through her veins. He wouldn't back down though. He would not be bested by a mere human. He submitted to no one. Nobody brought him to his knees and nobody ever would. His brother was out of control and needed to be put in check and he was just the demon to do so. He shifted closer to his brother and quickly realized that he wasn't going to win this battle today. His fingers burned from the close contact.

He couldn't touch InuYasha. The girl had erected a small barrier around the two of them and it was impenetrable. He watched her as she leaned over his brother's limp form. Waves of unimaginable and unprecedented power rolled off of her like great drops of blood and she shook at the magnitude of it. She was channeling her miko magic into her hands and she was moving her body back and forth in a circular motion. She was preparing an attack against him and his henchmen. He quickly moved away from her already knowing that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her blasts.

"Fall back!" He ordered his men before lifting his tall form off the ground and taking flight.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" One of his men known as Muteki called out to him. "Why are we leaving the hanyou?"

"I said fall back!" The taiyoukai growled.

"But Lord Sesshomaru!" The young inu-youkai pleaded.

"Muteki! You and the others get away from these grounds now!"

The all black dressed demons briefly glanced at the glowing miko and finally realized why they were forced to surrender. The barrier around Kagome fell down quickly as deep purple light surrounding her body exploded. Pure bright light flowed from Kagome's hands and chased after the demons.

Immediately, several inu-youkai bodies disintegrated upon contact. They were thrown all over the grounds of the forbidden forest. The stench of burning flesh filled the air as one by one members of Sesshomaru's army dropped like flies. Their bodies quickly became dust.

Kagome's aura cracked all around her as her eyes shimmered in the night. She could feel her strength leaving her body. Channeling large amounts of energy always left her physically drained especially when her powers slipped out of control as they were now. She stared around in the distance trying to calm herself but nothing worked. Her powers continued to flow from her body.

A long while later she eased down beside InuYasha and peered into his face. His eyes were closed and she could feel his ragged breath barely brushing lightly against her face. Something seemed different about him. She closed her eyes for a moment wondering how she was going to get them away from the battleground before reaching for the top of InuYasha's head. She smoothed her fingers through his thick coat of her hair searching for his ears. When her fingers never managed to locate one triangular appendage she cringed and immediately snapped her eyes open. InuYasha was no longer a hanyou.

"Oh my GOD! Oh my GOD!"

Kagome quickly eased her body up and turned InuYasha's body over. There was blood still flowing from his stomach which only meant one thing. When she released her magic, not only did she purify the youkai in black, she'd also purified InuYasha. Her magic caused him to revert to his human form but the damage he received while in his full youkai state hadn't been reversed. InuYasha needed help and he needed help fast.

"Koga! Jinenji! Somebody help me! Please! Please!"

She pulled InuYasha's head back into her lap cradling him tightly. Salty tears burned the back of her eyes and spilled down her dirty pale cheeks. She rocked him against her body silently as despair wound itself around her.

_Please don't die InuYasha! __Please! Don't leave me! __I love you_! _Come back to me! __Please! __Please!_

* * *

**I don't usually do cliffhangers but I couldn't resist this time. I had to torture my favorite couple one last time….LOL! No, InuYasha didn't make Kagome his mate. The neck biting thing is a bit overused. So, mating rituals will be done differently in this story. Yes, Kagome and InuYasha connected on the battlefield but they've always had a connection. Things won't be totally healed between them by the next chapter but eventually they will begin to make progress. I can't tell you everything. Hope everyone has enjoyed reading this chapter. Please don't forget to leave a review. Thanks for the love and support. You ladies and gents are awesome.**

**BIG THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS!**

**~ASIAN*DELICACY~**


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